Alcohol results from the NACD 2010/11 Drug Prevalence Survey Dr Deirdre Mongan

Objective Obtain reliable prevalence rates on: –Frequency and volume of drinking –Harmful drinking patterns –Harm from own drinking –Harm from others’ drinking

Methodology Representative sample 4,843 respondents aged years Fieldwork Oct 2010 – June 2011 Response rate – 60% Demographics – gender, age, education, marital status and social class

Frequency of drinking 87% (89% males, 85% females) were current drinkers –Highest among females aged years (94%) –Lowest among females aged years (79%) 31% of men and 21% of women consumed alcohol at least twice weekly

Volume of drinking 24% consumed 1-2 standard drinks/drinking occasion –Most common among adults aged years (34%) 27% consumed 7+ standard drinks/drinking occasion –Highest among males years (60%) and years (48%)

Harmful drinking patterns Risky Single Occasion Drinking (binge drinking) AUDIT-C screening tool RAPS – used to screen for dependence

Risky Single Occasion Drinking (RSOD) 45% of adults aged engaged in RSOD at least once per month in the year prior to the survey This corresponds to 52% of drinkers –64% of male drinkers –39% of female drinkers RSOD was most common among year-olds (72%)

AUDIT-C screening tool 50% of adults aged scored positive for harmful drinking using the AUDIT-C screening tool This corresponds to 58% of drinkers –71% of male drinkers –44% of female drinkers

AUDIT-C: gender and age

RAPS screening tool 23% reported feelings of guilt or remorse 24% reported that friends/family told them about things they said/did that they did not remember 12% reported that they failed to do what was normally expected 2% reported that they needed a first drink in the morning Two or more positive scores (18%) –23% males, 14% females Three or more positive scores (7%)

RAPS screening tool: gender and age

Alcohol consumption by demographics Education and social class did not predict harmful drinking patterns Single drinkers were more likely to drink in a harmful manner than married drinkers of the same age –75% of single drinkers aged years had a positive AUDIT-C score compared with 54% of married/cohabiting drinkers of the same age

Harm from own drinking Six harms – harm to health, home life, work, friendships, being involved in an accident or fight 20% experienced at least one of these harms as a result of their drinking –26% males, 14% females 13% reported harm to health –Most common among those aged years (24%) Males aged years were most likely to have been in a fight (24%) or an accident (11%)

Harm from others’ drinking Five harms – family and money problems, being assaulted, being a passenger with a drunk driver, property vandalised 27% experienced harm as a result of someone else’s drinking 14% reported family problems –Most common among females aged years (19%) and males and females aged years (18%)

Summary Most adults aged years consumed alcohol with older females most likely to abstain from alcohol According to the AUDIT-C screening tool the majority of drinkers consumed alcohol in a harmful manner, which is consistent with previous research Harmful drinking patterns were most common among those aged years Males were most likely to experience alcohol-related harm from their and others’ drinking