15 Australians die from alcohol every day, new report reveals

Alcohol kills 15 Australians every day, while 430 people are hospitalised, a new report has found.

In the past decade, the number of fatalities linked to alcohol has swelled by 62 per cent.

The Turning Point report, called Alcohol’s Burden of Disease in Australia, shows an increasing number of deaths and disability, along with a larger burden on the health service and social impacts across Australia.

‘The reality is that the long-term effects aren’t just confined to one Saturday night, with serious health problems a genuine concern,’ researcher Belinda Lloyd said.

Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education chief executive Michael Thorn said urgent, national measures to address the price, promotion and availability of alcohol are needed to save lives.

‘A decade ago alcohol was responsible for 3,430 deaths per year. Now that figure stands at 5,554,’ Mr Thorn said.

The report also found injuries accounted for more than one in three alcohol-related deaths among Australian men, with cancer and digestive diseases causing 25 and 16 per cent respectively.

Among women, heart disease was the biggest alcohol-related killer, accounting for about a third of deaths.

The data from 2010 showed men were at far greater risk of alcohol-related harm than women.

More than 100,000 Australian men were hospitalised that year due to alcohol, compared with about 55,000 women.

In the same year, alcohol killed 3,467 men, compared to 2,087 women.

Research also found Northern Territory residents were three times more likely to die from alcohol use than other Australians.

Daily Mail