Reducing alcohol-related harm

Facts about young people and alcohol

• 46,957 (28%) of Western Australian 12 to 17 year-old school students consumed alcohol in the past week.
• 24.3% of Western Australian 12 to 17 year-old school students who drank in the last week report drinking at levels considered to place adults 'at risk' of short-term harm.
• Rates of alcohol-related harm in young people have increased significantly over recent years, particularly in those aged 16 to 24 years.
• About five Australians aged 15 to 24 years die every week due to alcohol-attributable injury or disease. Another 200 are hospitalised.
• The Commissioner's policy brief Children and young people speak out about alcohol and drugs demonstrates that excessive alcohol and drug use in the family has a significant impact on children and young people, who can be exposed to abuse, neglect and violence. Research in this report shows 13.2 per cent or 451,621 children in Australia under the age of 12 years are at risk of exposure to binge drinking in the household by at least one adult
• Parental alcohol and drug abuse is a major reason for 70 per cent of the care and protection orders for children in Western Australia.

• Parents are the most common source of supply of alcohol to young people, with over 40 per cent of 12 to 17 year-olds in Western Australia reporting that their parents provided them with alcoholic beverages.