Identifying New Generational Drug and Drinking Issues

Young Australians are less likely to over-indulge in booze and illicit drugs because they like to keep up appearances in their social media-sphere, according to a Flinders University, expert on substance abuse and addiction. Speaking at the recent Australian Public Health Conference 2019, Professor Ann Roche, Director of National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA) noted that while significant decreases in risky alcohol consumption by young people have been documented in Australia, it’s unknown whether risky drinking has been displaced by increased illicit drug use.

The research found that the profile of both risky drinkers and drug users varied by the industry of employment, highlighting the need for tailored interventions.

But it’s not only young people who are of concern, with Baby Boomers increasingly leading the statistics cataloguing risky drinking behaviour in Australia and being dubbed ‘the new risk group.’ “These major changes in older people’s alcohol consumption have important implications for health care providers, policymakers and carers,” said Professor Roche.

“Tailored strategies to identify indicators of problematic consumption among their older clients, and providing sensitive age-appropriate responses, need to be outlined.”