Drinking cultures and social occasions report

Drinking cultures and social occasions : alcohol harms in the context of major sporting events, published by VicHealth, explores this subject in terms of general patterns, gender patterns and age patterns. A range of alcohol-related harms were considered, including acute intoxication requiring medical attention, assaults, and motor vehicle accidents.  

The peak months of the year for ambulance attendances, emergency department presentations, and hospital admissions attributed to acute alcohol intoxication were November and December, with February also being identified as a peak month among males. Consistent with the literature, varying effects were noted for major sporting events. For all groups examined, elevated cases of alcohol intoxication occurred on the day of the Melbourne Cup, and also for all groups except females on the day of the AFL Grand Final and the event of the Commonwealth Games. Numbers of ambulance attendances for acute intoxication were significantly lower than expected on the day following the Melbourne Cup for all patients, and this was driven by the trend among females.