Aussies Need to Cut Drinking, Smoking: Report

Australians are among the heaviest drinkers in the world and 98,000 cases of alcohol-related disease could be prevented by cutting drinking habits by a third, a new report has found.

We drink more than Americans (more than 660 standard drinks a year), Canadians (632), Swedes (520) and Norwegians (505), the report's researchers from Victoria’s Deakin University and the National Stroke Research Institute say.

The VicHealth-backed study found that reducing the average annual intake of 773 standard drinks per adult to 505 drinks a year would save 38 lives and $1.2 billion.

The study also found if the rate of smoking was cut from the current 23 per cent of Australians to 15 per cent, 5,000 deaths would be prevented and more than $900 million in health, production and leisure costs would be saved.

The report is "breaking new ground in developing a model that estimates the economic benefits of the home-based activities and leisure that are essential to our daily lives", co-author and Deakin University Health Economic Professor Rob Carter said.

Prof Carter said the report - The Health and Economic Benefits of Reducing Disease Risk Factors - found the financial savings would benefit families and workplaces.

"Production and leisure includes the increased economic benefits from paid work (such as reduced absenteeism) plus unpaid, home-based activities, like caring for families, as well as leisure activities," Prof Carter said.

Australians are big drinkers, according to the report.

We drink more than Americans (more than 660 standard drinks a year), Canadians (632), Swedes (520) and Norwegians (505), the report's researchers from Deakin University and the National Stroke Research Institute say.

VicHealth chief executive Todd Harper told a conference in Darwin on Wednesday that cutting the drinking rates to 505 drinks a year and smoking to 15 per cent were realistic targets that would bring massive benefits.

There would be 98,000 fewer new cases each year of alcohol-related disease, 21,000 fewer years lost to illness and death, 158,000 fewer annual new cases of tobacco-caused illness and 71,000 fewer years lost to illness and death from smoking.

"The 15 per cent smoking target has already been reached in California, where effective policies have seen low smoking levels achieved," he said.

"And these targets point to large gains for relatively modest changes in the behaviours that lead to chronic illnesses.

"If Australia followed California's lead in increasing tobacco prices, using the proceeds for Quit-style social marketing, and tightening smoke-free policies in public areas, smoking rates here could drop even more."

According to the report, 13 per cent of adults drink alcohol at risky or high-risk levels, and alcohol added 2.3 per cent to the nation's health burden, with consequences including alcohol dependence and road accidents.

The smoking reduction target set by the federal government's National Preventative Health Taskforce is to reduce daily smoking to 9 per cent or less by 2020.