Alcohol drinking in adults
Why this indicator is important
Alcohol is the most widely used drug in Australia.[1]
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There is strong evidence that drinking alcohol increases the risk of many different cancers, including cancer of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, breast, liver, stomach, and bowel.[2]
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A study of alcohol consumption and cancer incidence in NSW adults aged 45 years and over found that the risk of developing an alcohol-related cancer increases by 10% with every seven standard drinks consumed per week when compared with those who don’t drink alcohol.[2,3]
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In 2020, the NHMRC updated the Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol stating healthy men and women should drink no more than 10 standard drinks a week and no more than 4 standard drinks on any one day.[1]
About this Indicator
This indicator shows the proportion of adults aged 16+ in NSW who consumed alcohol above recommended levels, as per 2009 guidelines:*†
In 2023, 33.5% of people aged 16 years and over drank more than 2 standard alcoholic drinks on a day when they usually drank alcohol in NSW. Drinking alcohol at this level poses a long-term health risk. The percentage of adults who drank alcohol at these levels increased from 27.4% in 2014.
NSW Cancer Plan activities
The Cancer Institute NSW alongside key partners are working to deliver programs and services to improve awareness and address the links between alcohol consumption and cancer risk. Recent work includes the development of an alcohol and cancer risk digital tool to be launched in 2025 and the Alcohol and Cancer Risk Quality Improvement module for Primary Care Professionals which is included in the Primary Care Cancer Control Quality Improvement Framework.
*This indicator is based on the NHMRC guidelines published in 2009 which recommend a maximum of two standard drinks per day to reduce lifetime risk, for both men and women. The questions used to define the indicator were: How often do you usually drink alcohol? On a day when you drink alcohol, how many standard drinks do you usually have? A standard drink is equal to 1 middy of full-strength beer, 1 schooner of light beer, 1 small glass of wine, or 1 pub-sized nip of spirits.
†In 2020 the NHMRC updated the Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol to healthy men and women should drink no more than 10 standard drinks a week and no more than 4 standard drinks on any one day. The data presented in this update reflect measurements aligning to the 2009 guideline.
Notes
Data Source: NSW Population Health Survey (SAPHaRI). Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence, NSW Ministry of Health. Data used with permission from HealthStats NSW.[4]
Data accurate as of August 2025.
References
Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol. National Health and Medical Research Council. Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra.
Cancer Institute NSW. Alcohol and cancer risk QI module [Internet]. Sydney: Cancer Institute NSW, 2022 [cited 6 March 2024]. https://www.cancer.nsw.gov.au/what-we-do/working-with-primary-care/primary-care-cancer-control-quality-improvement-to/cancer-prevention-qi-modules/alcohol-qi-module
Sarich P, Canfell K, Egger S, Banks E, Joshy G, Grogan P, Weber MF. Alcohol consumption, drinking patterns and cancer incidence in an Australian cohort of 226,162 participants aged 45 years and over. Br. J. Cancer. 2021 Jan 19;124(2):513-23.
HealthStats NSW. Alcohol drinking, long-term risk in adults (NHMRC 2009) [Internet]. Sydney: HealthStats NSW, 2025 [cited 11 March 2025]. Available from: Alcohol drinking, long-term risk in adults (NHMRC 2009) - HealthStats NSW
