Psychadelic_Paisly
Bluelighter
The Age Newspaper
Tuesday 24 June 2003, 4:05 PM
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/06/24/1056220592268.html
Boozing costs taxpayers billions
Boozing is leaving Australian taxpayers with a multi-billion dollar hangover.
The economic and social costs of alcohol misuse are enormous, with 10 per cent of the population drinking at risky levels, a new federal government report has found.
Excessive drinking is blamed for liver disease, car accidents, fires and crime, costing taxpayers $7.6 billion in 1998-99.
Of that, an estimated $2 billion is from loss of life, pain and suffering, with more than 2,000 deaths blamed on alcohol in that year alone, the National Alcohol Strategy report said.
Tangible costs, including health care, car accidents, fires, violence, crime and absenteeism, account for $5.5 billion.
Teenage girls are out-drinking their male colleagues but the worst offenders were men aged 20-29, according to the report.
"You're actually seeing higher levels of at-risk drinking amongst young women in the 14-19-year-olds even higher than young men," said Cheryl Wilson, chief executive of the Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia.
"But then the biggest group is actually men in the 20-29 year bracket that are drinking at the really high harm levels."
The report finds 6.1 per cent of the population have an alcohol disorder.
Alcoholics Anonymous said it had around 15,000 people enrolled in 1,700 groups nationally, with more and more women attending.
Ms Wilson said a new tax regime on alcohol should be considered, and role models such as sport stars and actors had to take greater responsibility.
"We need to look at an alcohol taxation regime that actually gives incentives for production and consumption of low alcohol products," she said.
The current tax regime favours cask wine and full strength beer.
Ms Wilson said sport teams who went drinking after matches and television programs such as The Secret Life of Us advocated drinking without showing any harmful side effects.
"Sporting teams go out and get very drunk after a game and that's seen as normal behaviour," she said.
Well it finally seems like the well known social and ecconomical effects of alcohol abuse are becoming noticed within the public.
Tuesday 24 June 2003, 4:05 PM
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/06/24/1056220592268.html
Boozing costs taxpayers billions
Boozing is leaving Australian taxpayers with a multi-billion dollar hangover.
The economic and social costs of alcohol misuse are enormous, with 10 per cent of the population drinking at risky levels, a new federal government report has found.
Excessive drinking is blamed for liver disease, car accidents, fires and crime, costing taxpayers $7.6 billion in 1998-99.
Of that, an estimated $2 billion is from loss of life, pain and suffering, with more than 2,000 deaths blamed on alcohol in that year alone, the National Alcohol Strategy report said.
Tangible costs, including health care, car accidents, fires, violence, crime and absenteeism, account for $5.5 billion.
Teenage girls are out-drinking their male colleagues but the worst offenders were men aged 20-29, according to the report.
"You're actually seeing higher levels of at-risk drinking amongst young women in the 14-19-year-olds even higher than young men," said Cheryl Wilson, chief executive of the Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia.
"But then the biggest group is actually men in the 20-29 year bracket that are drinking at the really high harm levels."
The report finds 6.1 per cent of the population have an alcohol disorder.
Alcoholics Anonymous said it had around 15,000 people enrolled in 1,700 groups nationally, with more and more women attending.
Ms Wilson said a new tax regime on alcohol should be considered, and role models such as sport stars and actors had to take greater responsibility.
"We need to look at an alcohol taxation regime that actually gives incentives for production and consumption of low alcohol products," she said.
The current tax regime favours cask wine and full strength beer.
Ms Wilson said sport teams who went drinking after matches and television programs such as The Secret Life of Us advocated drinking without showing any harmful side effects.
"Sporting teams go out and get very drunk after a game and that's seen as normal behaviour," she said.
Well it finally seems like the well known social and ecconomical effects of alcohol abuse are becoming noticed within the public.
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