A study by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) has found 18% of Australians will experience periods of problematic drinking within their lifetime, while 4% become alcoholic.

This equated to 22% of the population – or about 3.5 million Australians – whose lives would be seriously and negatively affected by alcohol. The majority were young men while less than one in five of those affected would receive any form of professional help.

Problematic drinking includes being unable to perform duties at home or work, having alcohol-related arguments or fights, getting into trouble with the police, taking time off work, child neglect and drink driving.

The study analysed data from almost 9000 Australians aged 16 to 85 years with other shocking statistics including:

• One third of Australian men have a drinking problem at some point in their lives
• More than 40% of those with alcohol problems also report a mental illness.

Click on this link to read more of the findings from this study: Link

With these statistics it is no surprise that workplaces are affected by the impact of alcohol abuse. Speak to the DASA team if you would like more information on workplace drug and alcohol testing or policy development.