Many Australian health surveys have shown that most Aboriginal people are less likely than non-Aboriginal Australians to consume alcohol, a trait they share with indigenous peoples in Canada and New Zealand.
Just over three-quarters (77%) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males had consumed alcohol in the past year, while for females the proportion was significantly lower at 68%.
Alcohol use
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are less likely to drink alcohol than other Australians.
Alcohol has been central to Aboriginal-European social relations since occupation. It signifies more than simply another commodity and its use by Aborigines symbolically represents acceptance and inclusion within non-indigenous Australian society (Hunter 1993).
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are at least 1.2 and 1.3 times more likely to consume alcohol at levels that pose risks to their health over their lifetimes and on single drinking occasions than non-Indigenous people.
In 2018–19, Indigenous Australians living in Remote and very remote areas combined were: less likely to own their own home than Indigenous Australians in non-remote areas (11% compared with 36%)
11.8% of people who identified as both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander spoke an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language at home.
In the past, Aboriginal people tapped the trees to allow the sap, resembling maple syrup, to collect in hollows in the bark or at the base of the tree. Ever-present yeast would ferment the liquid to an alcoholic, cider-like beverage that the local Aboriginal people referred to as Way-a-linah.
Not until 1964 were Aborigines in Western Australia and the Northern Territory granted the right to drink liquor, and the prohibition on supplying liquor to Aborigines in South Australia remained until 1967 (D'Abbs 1987; McCorquodale 1984).
The islands were settled by different seafaring Melanesian cultures such as the Torres Strait Islanders over 2500 years ago, and cultural interactions continued via this route with the Aboriginal people of northeast Australia.
Looking at the amount of alcohol consumed per person aged 15 years or older, the Seychelles is in first place with around 20.5 litres of alcohol drunk per person per year, according to Our World in Data; studies show that young male peer groups primarily drink high amounts of alcohol in the Seychelles.
Tobacco use is widespread among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples although smoking rates vary between regions and communities. Overall, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are almost 3 times more likely to smoke compared to non-Indigenous Australians.
The reasons for the high smoking rates among Aboriginal people are complex. They include: being exposed to smoking early in life and living in a community where smoking is 'the social norm' social disadvantage such as living in poverty, leaving school early and unemployment.
American Indian and Alaska Native
American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) tend to abuse substances more than other racial demographics, and also suffer from more mental health concerns than the general American population.
In 2019, the top 10 European countries with the highest alcohol consumption per capita were Czechia (14.3 litres), Latvia (13.2), Moldova (12.9), Germany (12.8), Lithuania (12.8), Ireland (12.7), Spain (12.7), Bulgaria (12.5), Luxembourg (12.4), and Romania (12.3).
“Australia tops the world in both the number of times people report getting drunk and in seeking emergency medical treatment for alcohol,” explains Caterina Giorgi, CEO of The Foundation For Alcohol Research & Education, on a rather sobering note.
In fact, 64 percent of the world's nations have legal drinking ages of 18. The youngest legal drinking age in the world is 15, with both Mali and the Central African Republic allowing folks to drink at that time.
An ABC News article published in 2018 described lemon, lime, and bitters (LLB) as "Australia's national drink". Lemon, lime, and bitters is a mixed drink made with (clear) lemonade, lime cordial, and Angostura bitters. The lemonade is sometimes substituted with soda water or lemon squash.
Who drinks alcohol in Australia? Around 77% of adults drink alcohol. 23% do not drink alcohol. The proportion of the population aged 14 and over who consumed alcohol daily declined significantly between 2016 (6.0%) and 2019 (5.4%) (AIHW 2020, Table 3.1).
Alcohol is an intrinsic part of Australian culture and it plays a central role in most people's social lives. Heavy drinking is seen as acceptable in almost all social situations, from weddings to sports matches, and even at funerals or baby showers.
Axel Vodka is 100% Aboriginal, female-owned and operated, and is made from 100% Australian ingredients.
In the past, Aboriginal people tapped the trees to allow the sap, resembling maple syrup, to collect in hollows in the bark or at the base of the tree. Ever-present yeast would ferment the liquid to an alcoholic, cider-like beverage that the local Aboriginal people referred to as Way-a-linah.
Assimilationist terms such as 'full-blood,' 'half-caste' and 'quarter-caste' are extremely offensive and should never be used when referring to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Since legislation for Indigenous people was a state matter, each state found its own definition for 'Aboriginal'. Examples: Western Australia: a person with more than a quarter of Aboriginal blood. Victoria: any person of Aboriginal descent.
Shame may be felt as a result of: • a lack of respect • embarrassment • self importance/self promotion • rudeness • a breach of accepted Aboriginal “norms” and/or taboos A shame job is an an event which causes a person shame or embarrassment.