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FARE - The Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) Annual Alcohol Poll has been looking at Australian drinking habits since 2010.

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Latest and greatest - They have just released their latest report, which sheds light on our consumption behaviours and awareness and experiences of alcohol harm, as well as our perspectives on alcohol policies.

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Nine - The study is in its ninth year, and is an important step in understanding our relationship with alcohol in general.

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Problem - Of those polled, 73% indicated that they believe Australia has a problem with alcohol.

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Getting worse - The poll revealed that 71% believed that alcohol-related problems will remain the same or get worse in the next five to ten years.

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Industry - Skepticism towards the alcohol industry was revealed, with more than half of respondents believing that the industry deliberately targets people under 18.

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Harm reduction - Of those polled, 61% believe the industry should pay for initiatives to reduce alcohol harm.

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Independent - The poll also showed that 61% of Australians believe the alcohol industry would downplay independent university research linking alcohol to a range of harm.

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Survey says - The survey revealed that 82% of Australians drink alcohol.

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Wine - Of the respondents, 29% preferred bottled wine.

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Beer - Regular strength beer was the drink of choice for 22% of respondents.

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Spirits - Spirits came in third at 17%.

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Get drunk - Despite 71% of drinkers being comfortable with how much they drink, almost half (45%) or about 5.7 million Australians, report drinking alcohol to get drunk.

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More - The percentage of drinkers has increased from 77 to 82% since last year. More than three-quarters of respondents drink no more than two days a week.

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Nine units - According to FARE, nine standard drinks is the safe amount to drink each week.

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Drinking - During a single drinking session, 49% of people drink only one or two standard drinks. 31% drink three to five.

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Daily fix - Only 6% of Australians report that they drink every day.

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Problematic - Speaking with news.com.au, FARE chief executive Michael Thorn said one of the “hugely problematic” findings was the number of Australians who drink for the sole purpose of getting drunk.

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Wasted - A whopping 5.7 million Australians are said to drink with the sole intention of getting drunk, with most defining “being drunk” as “starting to slur speech or losing balance”.

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Binge drinking - Binge drinking is seen as far more problematic and detrimental to health than spreading the same quantity out over a number of days.

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Concern - Anyone who consumes more than four standard drinks in a single session, or more than 14 standard drinks per week, would warrant concern.

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Exceeeding - Exceeding the average of nine drinks per week isn't necessarily a problem, but the drinks must be spread out and not consumed in one sitting.

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Top 20 - The study revealed that the top 20% of drinkers in Australia were consuming as many as eight standard drinks in a single session — the equivalent of a bottle of wine.

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Community - The poll revealed some key information on alcohol's far-reaching impact on the community. 

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Not good - Sadly, 37% of Australians have been affected by alcohol-related violence, including 21% who have been direct victims.

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Women - Women are more likely than men to have been affected by alcohol-related violence — 41% compared to 34% of men.

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Advertising - Two thirds (67%) of Australians support a ban on alcohol advertising on television before 8:30 pm.

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Sporting - 52% of Australians believes that alcohol sponsorship should not be allowed at sporting events.

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Support - 51% support limiting the number of alcohol outlets to reduce alcohol-related family violence.

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Cider - The rise in popularity of cider was also noted in the report as a sweet alternative to beer that is particularly popular with millennials.

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