Aussie Oldies Hitting The High, While Millennial Drug Use Eases

Some misdirected finger pointing..


Article heading image for Aussie Oldies Hitting The High, While Millennial Drug Use Eases

Pic: Instagram/Baddie Winkle

Turns out millennials are NOT solely responsible for Australia's worrying drug problem.. 

The latest national drug study from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reveals an increase in the number of older Aussies indulging in illicit activities, while those in their 20s have seen a decrease. 

Nationally, drug use for the 40+ age bracket is up from 13.6 per cent in 2013 to 16.2 per cent in 2016. 

For people in their 20s, use rates have dropped from 35 per cent in 2001 to 28 per cent. 

Take Queensland for example. The number of Queenslanders in their 50s and 60s who used drugs in the past year has jumped by five per cent. 

Researchers have also found that people in their 60s were most likely to have five or more standard alcoholic drinks on at least five nights of the week. On the flipside, since 2010 the proportion of 18-29 year olds drinking at 'risky' levels has "declined significantly". 

The findings have sparked calls from drug and alcohol abuse awareness groups to change the focus of our awareness campaigns, given they've traditionally focused on the younger generation. 

Claire Sherwood

28 September 2017

Article by:

Claire Sherwood




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