Risky Drinking: Alcohol in general practice

Alcohol is often present at celebrations 
and gatherings throughout Australia. Excessive alcohol consumption, however, can affect the physical, mental and social welfare of individual drinkers and of those
around them.

‘Alcohol is very normalised in Australia and it has the potential to do a lot of damage if there is risky drinking,’ 
Dr Christine Longman, a Victorian GP 
with an interest in alcohol management, told Good Practice. ‘We know that one 
in four people drink in excess. That is quite a high incidence.

‘If you have a look at the number of hospital admissions, you can see that alcohol is often very prominent. When you are screening in general practice, you do find that a large number of people are drinking beyond the National Health and Medical Research Council [NHMRC] guidelines.’

Studies have determined that primary 
care is the best environment in which to support early intervention for patients who drink at risky levels.

Lifetime risky drinking behaviours are classified as consuming more than two standard drinks each day, and single-occasion risky drinkers are those who have more than five drinks in a single session.

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GP Sept 2015 Alcohol (pdf 686KB)