Australia: CEOs, Law Makers Are Biggest Alcohol Users
CEOs, general managers and legislators are the biggest alcohol users per job category in Australia. Despite a 2.9% decrease since 2017, people in these jobs consume the most alcohol, where 77.9% reported having alcohol within the last week.
Following CEOs are construction workers, farmers and arts and media professionals at the high end of consuming alcohol. People in protective service have had the largest increase in alcohol use at 8.5% more than 2015. However their current alcohol use is in the mid range. Comparatively people in arts and media has had a steep increase in alcohol use at 8.4% more than 2015 placing them at number 4 in the high end of alcohol consumers at 74.8%.
The most notable decrease in alcohol use is in the food trades workers job category which has gone down from 63.7% in 2015 to 47.4% in 2018.
The least amount of alcohol is consumed by carers and aides at 41.7% which is a 6.7% decrease from 2015. They are followed by unemployed people in the lowest alcohol use.
The figures show weekly alcohol consumption has stayed the same or varied slightly for all careers in the last three years, except construction trade workers, farmers, arts and media professionals and protective service workers who are significantly consuming more alcohol.
Alcohol Harm in Australia
© WHO Global Alcohol Status Report
The majority of the male alcohol users over 15 years (60.7%) in Australia are engaging in binge alcohol consumption. The trend is even worse for young male alcohol users where 70.8% between 15 to 19 years binge on alcohol. Another massive problem is the prevalence of alcohol use disorders affecting 6.1% Australian men, comparatively higher than the average for the WHO Western Pacific region.
Fear of cognitive dissonance
Australia needs to improve its alcohol policy measures to reduce and prevent the high levels of alcohol harm. But with legislator ranking among the highest job group in terms of alcohol consumption, the question is how aware and cognizant law makers are to the real effects of alcohol?
Alcohol industry interference and congnitive dissonance on the part of the legislators might intefer with the willingness to understand and tackle alcohol harm in Australia.