Alcohol causes nearly 6,000 Australian deaths in one year

Almost 6,000 Australians died from alcohol-attributable disease in a single year, about one every 90 minutes, according to new research as reported by Cancer Council in Western Australia.

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The National Alcohol Indicators (NAI) project, conducted by the National Drug Research Institute (NDRI) at Curtin University, found:

• An estimated 5,797 Australians aged 15 and over died from alcohol-attributable causes in 2015

• Cancer was responsible for 2,106 (36%) of those deaths while injuries, cardiovascular disease and digestive diseases were the next leading cause (17%, about 1000 deaths each)

• Breast cancer (18%) and liver disease (15%) were the biggest killers among women; among men, liver disease (18%) and bowel (colorectal) cancer (10%) were the most common conditions caused by alcohol

• Hospitalisations attributable to alcohol exceeded 144,000 in 2012-13, an average of about 400 a day

• Alcohol dependence (21%), falls (12%) and alcohol abuse (10%) were the main causes of hospitalisation.

Interview with Dr Robert Kaldawi (Bio-medicine), talking about risks and tips to minimize alcohol harm this holiday season