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What are the general harms and costs of our drinking?

Binge drinking is the most significant and common aspect of overall alcohol misuse, and these behaviours cross all socio-economic groups. The New Zealand Health Survey found that 17.7 percent of us are hazardous drinkers . ALAC’s Alcohol Monitor classifies 25 percent of New Zealanders as binge drinkers . Additionally, certain groups are disproportionately impacted by alcohol misuse (young people, Pacific and Mäori communities). Also, alcohol misuse has especially adverse effects on unborn children.

While it is a difficult and complex task to attribute a cost to alcohol misuse, it is estimated that harmful alcohol use cost New Zealand between $4.8 billion and $5.3 billion in social costs in the 2005/06 year, and harmful drug use in total (alcohol and other drugs combined) cost New Zealand approximately $6.9 billion. 28.4 percent of the drug and alcohol costs result from injury. It is estimated that up to 50 percent of the social costs of harmful drug and alcohol use may be avoidable . It has been estimated that 22 percent of all injuries treated in hospital and the consequent ACC costs are linked to alcohol . At least 31 percent of recorded offences were committed in circumstances where the offender had consumed alcohol prior to committing the offence. (NZ Police, 2009, page 24) . One third of detainees interviewed as part of the New Zealand Arrestee Drug Abuse (NZ-ADAM ) monitoring programme reported drinking alcohol prior to their arrest . 72 percent of those using alcohol at the time of their arrest considered that its use had contributed to “some” or “all” of their offending.