Drug trends
How we drink is influenced by things like our age, sex, ethnic background and socio-economic status.
Alcohol is the most popular recreational drug in New Zealand. As such, it is also responsible for many problems.
- Alcohol causes about 1000 deaths in New Zealand every year.
- Thousands more are injured in alcohol-related accidents and assaults.
- More than 120,000 New Zealanders suffer from an alcohol use disorder.
- Young people, Māori and Pacific people are especially affected by alcohol-related harms.
- Alcohol is a factor in one-third of all crimes.
According to Statistics NZ the amount of alcohol available to drink per person (per capita consumption) has increased 9 percent in the last 10 years.
Key results of the 2007/08 New Zealand Alcohol and Drug Use Survey reported:
- more than 80 percent of New Zealand adults (2.98 million people) drink at least occasionally.
- Men are more likely to be drinkers than women and to drink more, but women’s consumption has been increasing over time, particularly among young women.
- Nearly half of all alcohol is consumed in “heavier drinking occasions” – in which a woman consumes six or more drinks and a man eight or more drinks.
- A quarter (25 percent) of New Zealand drinkers aged 12 to 65 typically drink large amounts when they drink, as do over half (54 percent) of 18- to 24-year-old drinkers.
- Just over a third of male drinkers aged 18 to 24 get drunk at least once a week.
- The drinking patterns of young people (14 to 18) show a trend towards heavier consumption per occasion.
- Consumption amongst Māori has also been increasing.
