Binge Drinking, Health and Osteopathy in Australia

Binge drinking is an individual and public issue that poses an increasing concern on the physical, social and economic aspects of the health of Australians. For many people alcohol can bring much pleasure, joy and societal amusement, however when people drink in excess, or binge drink, the costs to health and the community can potentially be devastating. The definition of binge drinking is not widely agreed upon, however a commonly accepted description is the consumption of 5 or more standard drinks on any single occasion, and often modified to 4 drinks or more for women (Naimi et al., 2003). Osteopaths, as primary health care practitioners, must have useful knowledge and tools in assisting patients who cope with the consequences of binge drinking.

Gender, age and socioeconomic status are predisposing factors to regular binge drinking, and the burden of alcohol abuse is approximately six times higher in males (World Health Organization, 2003). Charles, Valenti & Miller (2011) discovered in a sample of adults aged 19 years and over, 15% of participants were regular binge drinkers and almost one-third of patients aged 18-24 years were regular binge drinkers. Patients from an English speaking background were twice as likely to binge drink regularly as those from non-English speaking backgrounds (Charles, Valenti, & Miller, 2011). Remote populations were more likely to be binge drinkers than those from major cities or regional areas (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2008). The percentage of Australians who reported consuming risky levels of alcohol has increased from 8% in 1995 to 13% in 2004-05 (Teesson et al., 2010). This demonstrates that there has been an increase in the percentage of binge drinking over time, or ...

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