Conigrave, James H

Wilson, Scott

Conigrave, Katherine M

Perry, Jimmy

Hayman, Noel

Chikritzhs, Tanya N

Wilson, Dan

Zheng, Catherine

Weatherall, Teagan J

Lee, K S Kylie

2024-09-01

Contrary to stereotypes, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are more likely to abstain from drinking than other Australians. We explored characteristics and experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians who do not drink alcohol.We conducted a cross-sectional, representative survey of 775 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians (16+ years) in remote and urban South Australia. We explore correlates of not drinking alcohol using multi-level logistic regression. We describe reasons for non-drinking and harms participants experienced in past 12 months from others' drinking.Non-drinking participants were more likely to be older (OR 1.35 [95% CI 1.21, 1.50] per decade) and unemployed (OR 2.72 [95% CI 1.77, 4.20]). Participants who spoke Aboriginal Australian languages at home were three times more likely to be lifetime abstainers from drinking (OR 3.07 [95% CI 1.52, 6.21]). Common reasons for not drinking alcohol were health and family. Most did not report harms from others' alcohol consumption (79.6%, 76.9%, urban and remote respectively). Stress from others' alcohol consumption was the most reported harm by non-drinkers (14.5% and 23.1%, urban and remote, respectively).Culture such as speaking Aboriginal Australian languages might have protective effects that promote abstaining but was rarely explicitly cited as a reason for not drinking. A greater understanding of local values held by people who do not drink alcohol could help inform health messaging and other interventions to reduce alcohol-related harms. Understanding local reasons for abstaining can help tailor health messaging to suit local contexts.

Faculty of Medicine and Health, Central Clinical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

The Edith Collins Centre (Translation Research in Alcohol, Drugs and Toxicology), Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, Australia.

Institute of Positive Psychology and Education, Australian Catholic University, Sydney, Australia.

Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia.

Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia.

Aboriginal Drug and Alcohol Council South Australia, Adelaide, Australia.

Faculty of Medicine and Health, Central Clinical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

The Edith Collins Centre (Translation Research in Alcohol, Drugs and Toxicology), Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, Australia.

Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Drug Health Services, Sydney, Australia.

Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia.

Aboriginal Drug and Alcohol Council South Australia, Adelaide, Australia.

Southern Queensland Centre of Excellence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care, Inala Indigenous Health Service, Brisbane, Australia.

School of Medicine, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia.

School of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.

Faculty of Health Sciences, National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University, Perth, Australia.

Alice Springs Hospital, NT Health, Alice Springs, Australia.

Faculty of Medicine and Health, Central Clinical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia.

Faculty of Medicine and Health, Central Clinical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia.

Faculty of Medicine and Health, Central Clinical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

The Edith Collins Centre (Translation Research in Alcohol, Drugs and Toxicology), Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, Australia.

Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia.

Faculty of Health Sciences, National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University, Perth, Australia.

Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia.

Drug Alcohol Rev . 2024 Sep;43(6):1523-1533. doi: 10.1111/dar.13907. Epub 2024 Jul 23.

1465-3362

0000-0002-8816-6229

0000-0002-6428-1441

0000-0001-8871-3205

0000-0003-1612-8466

0000-0002-3224-5761

0000-0001-5410-9464

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39042571/?otool=iaurydwlib

https://hdl.handle.net/10137/13543

Aboriginal

Grog Survey App

Indigenous Australian

abstain

non‐drinking

Humans

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

Female

Male

Adult

Cross-Sectional Studies

Alcohol Drinking

Adolescent

Middle Aged

Young Adult

Stereotyping

Australia

Aged

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples

Countering stereotypes: Exploring the characteristics of Aboriginal Australians who do not drink alcohol in a community representative sample.

Journal Article

Publication