Does the proportion of Australians that has met the diagnostic criteria for an alcohol disorder in the past 12 months differ by gender?
Similar proportions of Australian men and women have met the diagnostic criteria for an alcohol disorder during the past 12 months.
2% of Australian men have met the diagnostic criteria for harmful alcohol use in the past 12 months, compared to 1% of women.
1% of Australian men have met the diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence in the past 12 months, compared to 0.8% of women.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2024). 2020-22 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing: Summary of results.
Dependence: A maladaptive pattern of use in which the use of drugs or alcohol takes on a much higher priority for a person than other behaviours that once had greater value. The central characteristic is the strong, sometimes overpowering, desire to take the substance despite significant substance-related problems.
Harmful Use: A pattern of use of alcohol or drugs that is responsible for (or substantially contributes to) physical or psychological harm, including impaired judgement or dysfunctional behaviour.