Drinking habits in Sydney's western suburbs

Sydney's western suburbs is a rapidly expanding area with a higher rate of many social problems than the rest of Sydney. We have gathered data on the drinking habits of a sample of 1, 961 people living in this region. The level of intake and patterns of alcohol use are similar to those reported in other Australian studies. There is a high rate of binge drinking among young males. A small but important proportion of people in older age groups drink in a hazardous or harmful fashion.