Alcohol and other drugs
Contains key statistics and information about alcohol, substances used for non-medical purposes, and prescription drugs used for non-prescribed purposes in NSW
Key statistics
Overview
There are significant economic, health and social costs associated with the use of alcohol and other drugs in Australia. These relate to ill-health and premature death, healthcare costs, absenteeism and productivity loss, crime, imprisonment, and other community costs. These issues affect individuals, families, and the community. The alcohol and other drugs indicators relate to: Read through this page to learn more about alcohol and other drug use in NSW. Click on the following images and the indicators listed in the A-Z directory below to see more detailed data on this topic.
The age-adjusted rate of alcohol-related hospitalisations has remained stable over the past 10 years (780 per 100,000 population in 2022-23), except for an increase in 2020-21.
The age-adjusted rate of other drug-related hospitalisations was stable between 2014-15 to 2019-20 (661 per 100,000 in 2019-20). After a minor increase in 2020-21, the rate has since decreased (555 per 100,000 population in 2022-23).
The age-adjusted rate of total alcohol-related and alcohol-induced deaths decreased from a peak in 2019 of 17.7 deaths per 100,000 population to 14.5 deaths per 100,000 population in 2022.
The age-adjusted rate of total drug-induced and drug-related deaths has decreased from a peak in 2017 of 16 deaths per 100,000 population to 10 deaths per 100,000 population in 2022.
In 2022, there were over 800 NSW residents who died with drug use as an underlying or contributing cause of death; of the over 800 total drug deaths in NSW in 2022, 430 were drug-related deaths while 386 were drug-induced deaths. During that same period, there were over 1,300 NSW residents who died with alcohol use as an underlying or contributing cause of death; and of those over 1,300 total alcohol deaths in NSW in 2022, 763 were alcohol-related deaths while 567 were alcohol-induced deaths.
A range of population characteristics are associated with a higher rate of alcohol and other drug-related hospitalisation.
A higher rate of alcohol-related hospitalisations in NSW in 2022-23 occurred in:
- men (962 per 100,000 population) than women (608 per 100,000 population)
- people aged 45-54 years (1,307 per 100,000 population) than any other age group
- those living in remote and very remote areas (1,421 per 100,000 population) than major cities (767 per 100,000 population)
- those living in areas of least socio-economic disadvantage (896 per 100,000) than in most socio-economic disadvantage (653 per 100,000 population)
A higher rate of other drug-related hospitalisations in NSW in 2022-23 occurred in:
- men (646 per 100,000 population) than women (466 per 100,000 population)
- people aged 25-34 years (737 per 100,000 population) than any other age group
- those living in remote and very remote areas (867 per 100,000 population) than major cities (528 per 100,000 population)
- those living in areas of most socio-economic disadvantage (628 per 100,000 population) than in least socio-economic disadvantage (461 per 100,000 population)
The age-adjusted rate of alcohol-related hospitalisations among Aboriginal people was 2,218 per 100,000 population in 2022-23, while the rate of other drug-related hospitalisations among Aboriginal people was 2,702 per 100,000 population.
Hospitalisations and deaths data are coded using different versions of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD), namely ICD-10-AM and ICD-10. There is limited availability of substance specific codes within these classification systems which often restricts the reporting of other drug-related hospitalisations and deaths data to the drug class or sub-class level.
An indicator on alcohol hospitalisations can be measured by:
Alcohol-related hospitalisations: counting those where alcohol (use, addiction or diseases) was the direct reason for the hospital admission (principal diagnosis) or related to the treatment while in hospital (other diagnosis). This indicator counts whole admissions for patients who have alcohol use problems or alcohol-related diseases.
Alcohol attributable hospitalisations: counting a proportion of those where, according to evidence from the peer-reviewed literature, alcohol directly or indirectly contributed to the morbidity burden (diseases, disorders or conditions). This indicator counts whole (alcohol use disorders) or partial admissions where alcohol played a role in causing the condition or disease, even if the patient themselves did not have alcohol use problems or alcohol-related diseases. Many alcohol-related diseases are not 100% attributable to alcohol.
An indicator on alcohol deaths can be measured by:
Alcohol-induced and alcohol-related deaths: counting those deaths where alcohol (addiction or alcohol-related diseases) was the direct reason for the underlying cause of death or related to the death of the person as an associated cause of death. This indicator counts whole deaths for people who died of alcohol use problems or alcohol-related diseases.
Alcohol attributable deaths: counting a proportion of deaths where, according to evidence from the peer-reviewed literature, alcohol directly or indirectly contributed to the fatality burden (diseases, disorders or conditions). This indicator counts whole (alcohol use disorders) or partial deaths where alcohol played a role in causing the condition or disease, even if the person who died themselves did not have alcohol use problems or alcohol-related diseases (such as a car passenger killed in a crash involving a drunk driver). Many alcohol-related diseases are not 100% attributable to alcohol.
Other drug-related emergency department presentations are identified using a combination of diagnosis codes and key word searches applied to free text fields.
The non-survey data comes from routinely collected administrative data. Routinely collected data are useful for examining harms at the state level and trends over time, however, there may be challenges identifying specific groups at higher risk. For example, detailed information is not routinely collected on gender identity or sexual preference in administrative hospital data, which means that information cannot be reported for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) communities.
Survey data is based on self-reported alcohol and other drug consumption in NSW. The data are collected predominantly through Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing as part of the NSW Population Health Survey. In 2024, a trial of a push-to-web method was undertaken using a posted invitation to households to complete an online survey. Data from that trial have been included in 2024 reporting. The survey data are adjusted to the actual NSW population so that the statistics provide an estimate of the percentage of people who drank alcohol and used specified substances for non-medical reasons in NSW.
For specific considerations for each topic area, refer to data notes in each individual indicator listed below.
Data for Port Macquarie-Hastings LGA
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