How common is alcohol-related violence in Australia?

Among Australians aged 14 years and over, 21% had experienced at least one incident of either physical abuse, verbal abuse or being put in fear by someone under the influence of alcohol in the past 12 months.

Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). 2019 National Drug Strategy Household Survey.

Alcohol-Related Violence: An incident of physical abuse, verbal abuse or being put in fear, in which the perpetrator or victim reports that alcohol use contributed to the violence.

Physical Abuse: An act which causes pain and/or injury to the victim.

Put in Fear: Feeling threatened and/or afraid for one’s personal safety due to the actions, speech or behaviour of another.

Under the Influence of Alcohol: There is no single objective standard for being under the influence of alcohol. Similarly, data sources used in the NADK do not provide a definition of this term. It is popularly understood as referring to an individual who has consumed enough alcohol to impair their mental, physical, and/or cognitive faculties. However, definitions and standards may vary between jurisdictions, sectors and organisations.

Verbal Abuse: Speech which is designed to humiliate, degrade, demean, intimidate, or subjugate (including the threat of physical violence).