A new survey indicates that 4 million Australians drink out of habit and about 1.4 million Australians drink to "feel normal." The survey, conducted for the Australian Salvation Army, indicated that 2.4 million people, and one third of 18 to 24 year olds, drink alcohol just to become intoxicated.
The survey results are disturbing, according to Kathryn Wright, the Salvation Army state drug and alcohol services coordinator.
"The very act of getting drunk has health implications every time someone does it," Wright said.
The survey discovered that the main reason for drinking was social.
"It’s so ingrained in our culture that drinking is the way that you celebrate, it’s the way that you commiserate, it’s the way that you socialize, that it sort of crosses a boundary than drunkenness in some instances is very socially acceptable."
The survey was completed as part of the Salvation Army’s annual research into alcohol awareness. Since the inception of the survey, in 2002, alcohol consumption overall in Australia has gradually declined, especially among men.
The survey indicated that almost 10 percent of men in Australia drink every day. Thirty six percent of Australian men consumed more than the suggested amount of alcohol in a single session in the previous month.
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