The number of Australians who die every day as a result of risky alcohol consumption could fill two minivans.
Road crashes are a leading cause of the 15 alcohol-related deaths that occur in Australia every day.
Another 430 people are admitted to Australian hospitals for treatment for alcohol-related injuries or disease per day.
It's a human toll that does not sit neatly beside the image of alcohol as an "accepted" part of Australian culture, says researcher Dr Belinda Lloyd.
"We certainly have some quite significant cultural norms around alcohol, and drunkenness as well, where it is quite socially accepted," said Dr Lloyd, lead researcher at Turning Point.
"And while people may be increasingly aware of the role that alcohol may play in injuries and motor vehicle accidents, and to some extent about liver disease, people aren't generally aware that alcohol is a significant contributing cause to a whole range of cancers, cardiovascular disease and digestive disease."
Annual Australian deaths from alcohol exceed 5500 and "that's about four times the level of road deaths we see in Australia", Dr Lloyd notes.
The Alcohol's Burden of Disease in Australia 2010 report, launched on Thursday, shows injuries (including motor vehicle crashes) accounted for 36 per cent of alcohol-related deaths among men during the year, followed by cancer (25 per cent) and digestive diseases (16 per cent).
For women, cardiovascular disease was the leading cause of alcohol-related deaths (34 per cent) followed by cancers (31 per cent) and injuries (12 per cent).
The study highlights how remoteness, disadvantage and limited access to services increase the risk posed by alcohol, with alcohol-related mortality highest in the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
It found total alcohol consumed remained stable over the years, but Australians were drinking less beer and spirits and more wine and cider.
Dr Lloyd also said the study showed how the community concerns about the alcohol's harms should be broader than binge drinking by young people.
"What we need to be aware of is that alcohol has substantial impacts on health and wellbeing across the whole population - it's not just short-term harms or just intoxication."
The research is supported by VicHealth and the Foundation for Alcohol Research & Education.
ALCOHOL'S BURDEN OF DISEASE IN AUSTRALIA REPORT 2010:
* 5554 alcohol-related deaths (3,467 male, 2,087 female) in 2010
* 157,132 alcohol-related hospitalisations (101,425 male, 55,707 female)
* 10.42 litres of alcohol consumed per person
* Victorian, SA and NSW drinkers consume less than 10 litres per year
* More than 12 litres per person for WA and NT
* Less beer and spirits consumed since 2007-2008 as wine and cider volumes rise
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