Read about the effects of alcohol, tobacco and drugs on our community.
Alcohol culture
Stonnington has the second highest lifetime risk of alcohol-related harm out of all Victorian local governments. Residents on average drink more alcohol, more frequently in comparison to surrounding areas.
- People in Stonnington are more likely to consume more than 2 alcoholic beverages a day in comparison to metropolitan Melbourne. Men are more than twice as likely as women to consume more than 2 alcoholic beverages.
- Two out of five (40.8%) residents are at risk of short-term harm from alcohol in a given month, significantly higher than the Victorian estimate (29.4%).
- 33.5% of residents agree that getting drunk every now and then is okay.
- In 2017/18, the volume of alcohol sold by wholesalers to retailers in Stonnington was 10.4 litres per adult. The alcohol volume for Victoria was 8.4 litres. The highest sales were for wine, at more than twice the volume of beer and spirits.
- 80% of alcohol in Australia is sold though take away outlets and delivery services.
- People who use on-demand alcohol services are more likely to report very risky drinking. The more frequently on-demand services are used, the more likely people are to experience harm after drinking.
- Of Australians who drink alcohol, 73% drink most frequently in the home (either their home or someone else’s), 15% at pubs, bars or clubs and 8% at restaurants.
- The home is the most frequent place to drink alcohol for all age groups.
- In April 2020, spending on alcohol and tobacco increased by 187% in the City of Stonnington, the largest increase across the city.
Harm caused by alcohol
Alcohol contributes to a major health burden in Australia.
Stonnington has a higher rate of alcohol-related hospital admissions in 40-64-year olds than the southeast.
In 2017/18, due to alcohol:
- 15 people died
- 29 serious road injuries
- 788 assaults
- 318 definite or possible family violence incidents involving alcohol.
- Every year, harms related to drinking result in:
- 4,000+ deaths
- 70,000 hospital admissions.
Men (79.4%) have a higher alcohol lifetime risk than females (72.1%) with both higher than the state average at 69% and 50.6% respectively.
Ambulance attendances for alcohol (per 10,000) are 29.6% higher than the metropolitan Melbourne average. Hospital Admissions (per 10,000) are 35.3% higher than the metropolitan Melbourne average.
Drugs and smoking
Stonnington has a significantly higher rate of hospital admissions due to illicit drugs in those aged 25–39 years in comparison to the metropolitan southeast average.
- Drug use among 15 to 24 year olds is also higher in comparison to the southeast average.
- In 2018, 7.9% of residents smoked daily.
Related information
Read about Gambling in our community and where to find support.
View the Reducing harm from alcohol, tobacco, drugs and gambling(PDF, 141KB) information.