Young People :: The National Alcohol and Drug Knowledgebase

What proportion of Australian school students aged 12-17 years drink alcohol?

Just under half (44%) of 12-17 year old school students have consumed alcohol in the past year, about a fifth (22%) have done so in the past month, and 11% have done so in the past week. Approximately one-third (35%) of Australian school students aged 12-17 years have never consumed alcohol.

Source: Scully, M, Koh, I, Bain, E, Wakefield, M, & Durkin, S (2023). ASSAD 2022-23: Australian secondary school students' use of alcohol and other substances. Cancer Council Victoria, Australia.

Please note: Percentages do not tally to 100% as drinking categories (past week, past month, & past year) overlap.

The proportion of school students who have ‘never consumed’ alcohol differs from the proportion of ‘abstainers’ among young people in the general population due to the use of different survey measures. In the secondary students’ survey (ASSAD), those who have never consumed alcohol are defined as those who had not had even a sip of an alcoholic drink in their lifetime. In the general population survey (NDSHS), abstainers are those who have never had a full serve of alcohol.

Proportions of school students drinking yearly, monthly, or weekly also differ from proportions of young people in the general population who drink yearly, monthly, or weekly due to differences in survey measures. The ASSAD measure indicates any alcohol use (even one drink) and the proportions overlap. The NDSHS measures indicate usual drinking frequency over the past 12 months and proportions do not overlap.

Are male or female Australian school students aged 12-17 years more likely to drink alcohol?

Among Australian school students aged 12-17 years, girls and boys are similarly likely to have drunk alcohol in their lifetime, the past year, past month and past week.

Source: Scully, M, Koh, I, Bain, E, Wakefield, M, & Durkin, S (2023). ASSAD 2022-23: Australian secondary school students' use of alcohol and other substances. Cancer Council Victoria, Australia.

Please note: This FAQ uses data from the Australian Secondary Students’ Alcohol and Drug Survey, in which differences were considered significant at p<.01. Percentages do not tally to 100% as drinking categories (past week, past month, & past year) overlap.

Are younger or older Australian school students aged 12-17 years more likely to drink alcohol?

The likelihood of Australian school students aged 12-17 years consuming alcohol increases with age. Australian students aged 12-15 years are more likely than those aged 16-17 years to have never consumed alcohol. Australian students aged 16-17 are significantly more likely to have consumed alcohol in the past year, month and week when compared to students aged 12-15.

Source: Scully, M, Koh, I, Bain, E, Wakefield, M, & Durkin, S (2023). ASSAD 2022-23: Australian secondary school students' use of alcohol and other substances. Cancer Council Victoria, Australia.

Please note: This FAQ uses data from the Australian Secondary Students’ Alcohol and Drug Survey, in which differences were considered significant at p<.01. Percentages do not tally to 100% as drinking categories (past week, past month, & past year) overlap.

What proportion of Australian school students aged 12-17 years consume 5+ standard drinks on a single occasion?

In 2022-23, among Australian school students aged 12-17 years who had ever drunk alcohol, 81% had drunk 5+ standard drinks on a single occasion at least once in their life. More than three-quarters (77%) had done so in the past year, 46% had done so in the past month, and 30% in the last two weeks.

Source: Scully, M, Koh, I, Bain, E, Wakefield, M, & Durkin, S (2023). ASSAD 2022-23: Australian secondary school students' use of alcohol and other substances. Cancer Council Victoria, Australia.

Please note: Consuming 5+ standard drinks per day (or 11+ standard drinks per week) is considered to be “risky consumption” for adults in the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol. According to these guidelines the consumption of any alcohol by people under the age of 18 places them at risk of harm.

Are male or female school students aged 12-17 years more likely to consume 5+ standard drinks on a single occasion?

In 2022/23 among Australian school students aged 12-17 years, there were no significant differences in the proportion of male and female students who drank 5+ standard drinks on a single occasion.

Source: Scully, M, Koh, I, Bain, E, Wakefield, M, & Durkin, S (2023). ASSAD 2022-23: Australian secondary school students' use of alcohol and other substances. Cancer Council Victoria, Australia.

Please note: This FAQ uses data from the Australian Secondary Students’ Alcohol and Drug Survey, in which differences were considered significant at p<.01.

Consuming 5+ standard drinks per day (or 11+ standard drinks per week) is considered to be “risky consumption” for adults in the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol. According to these guidelines the consumption of any alcohol by people under the age of 18 places them at risk of harm.

Are younger or older Australian school students aged 12-17 years more likely to consume 5+ standard drinks on a single occasion?

In 2022/23 among Australian school students aged 12-17 years who consume alcohol, older students were more likely than younger students to consume 5+ standard drinks on a single occasion.

Source: Scully, M, Koh, I, Bain, E, Wakefield, M, & Durkin, S (2023). ASSAD 2022-23: Australian secondary school students' use of alcohol and other substances. Cancer Council Victoria, Australia.

Please note: This FAQ uses data from the Australian Secondary Students’ Alcohol and Drug Survey, in which differences were considered significant at p<.01.

Please note: Consuming 5+ standard drinks per day (or 11+ standard drinks per week) is considered to be “risky consumption” for adults in the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol. According to these guidelines the consumption of any alcohol by people under the age of 18 places them at risk of harm.

Which alcohol beverages do Australian school students aged 12-17 years usually drink?

Australian school students aged 12-17 years who drank alcohol in the past week usually drank premixed spirits (42%), followed by spirits (21%), and beer (14%).

Source: Scully, M, Koh, I, Bain, E, Wakefield, M, & Durkin, S (2023). ASSAD 2022-23: Australian secondary students' use of alcohol and other substances. Cancer Council Victoria, Australia.

Please note: Percentages do not tally to 100% as only the five most common beverage types selected are reported.

Data presented here concerns students who drank alcohol in the past week and excludes those who selected more than one beverage type. These data differ from NDSHS data concerning beverage types usually consumed by young people in the general population, which include those who drank in the past 12 months and those who selected more than one beverage type.

Where do Australian school students aged 12-17 years drink alcohol?

Among Australian school students aged 12-17 years who drank alcohol in the past week, 35% had their last drink at home, 26% had their last drink at a party, and 18% had their last drink at a friend’s house.

Source: Cancer Council Victoria (2023). ASSAD 2022-23 Statistics & Trends: Australian secondary school students' use of tobacco, alcohol, over-the-counter drugs, and illicit substances.

Please note: Percentages do not tally to 100% as only the three most common locations are reported.

These data exclude students who reported multiple drinking locations and differ from NDSHS data concerning young people in the general population where reported data include multiple responses.