Home has been revealed as the most dangerous place to drink alcohol

 

Source: news.com.au

August 30, 2016

 

DRINKING alcohol at home is the most dangerous place to enjoy a beverage.

 

New research from the University of England discovered 36 per cent of alcohol-induced injuries happened at home while just 13 per cent of injuries happened on the street and 10 per cent in licensed venues.

 

Professor Kim Usher from the School of Health believed media made people believe most injuries happened at pubs and clubs rather than at home.

 

“This study shows that the home is a place of danger when drinking. It appears more people especially the younger ones are drinking at home, because it is cheaper than going out. We hope health policy makers are looking at strategies to address this issue, as it is becoming the drinking location of choice and increasingly the site for alcohol-related injuries,” Prof Usher said.

 

Emergency department surveillance data from the Queensland Injury Surveillance unit from 2003 and 2012 was analysed by researchers.

 

The research, which included data from 23 hospitals, found alcohol-related injuries increased by 138 per cent.

 

The research found people were injured most on weekends around midnight.

 

“An injury due to assault is 84 per cent more likely to happen in the home compared to other locations. Of all the alcohol-related injuries, the most frequent body region to sustain an injury was the head, neck or face,” Prof Usher said.

 

“The study showed women with alcohol-related injuries were most likely to have sustained that injury in the home than at a licensed venue, with 59 per cent of those injuries reported to be the result of domestic violence by a partner.”

 

The new research comes after the NSW government introduced lockout laws in Sydney in 2014, stopping people from entering licensed venues in Kings Cross and parts of the Sydney entertainment precinct, which includes Surry Hills, Haymarket, Darlinghurst and The Rocks.

 

The area has about 1300 licensed venues now operating under the stricter lockout laws, which were put in place to prevent alcohol-fuelled violence and injuries.

 

A report from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research shows violence has gone down in Kings Cross and the Sydney entertainment district.

 

In Kings Cross there were 35 non-domestic assaults in 2013-14. The number dropped to 21 following the lockout laws.

 

In the Sydney entertainment precinct, non-domestic assaults dropped from 151 to 130.

 

Lockout laws were introduced in Queensland earlier this year but a 1am lockout and 3am last drinks call for nightclub precincts won’t be imposed until February 1.

 

La Trobe University researchers Sarah Callinan and Michael Livingston wrote for The Conversation earlier this year, saying bad behaviour in pubs was a problem but revealed most of Australia’s alcohol was drunk at home.

 

They surveyed more than 2000 Australians and found nearly two-thirds of alcohol consumed in the country was drunk at home.

 

The researchers said it was five times the amount that was being drunk in pubs, clubs, and bars combined.

 

They said more people were drinking at home and doing it there more regularly.

 

“The average drinking occasion at home involves more than five standard drinks,” they said.

 

They researched risky single occasion drinking sessions and found 62 per cent of young people in Victoria commenced their drinking sessions at home.