Almost half of young adult men (aged 18-29) are consistently drinking at risky levels, with 48% consuming more than 4 standard drinks on a typical occasion – above the national alcohol guidelines. These men were aged 18 to 29 when first surveyed in 2013-14. 

Further, 11% are consuming around 9 standard drinks on a typical drinking occasion, and maintaining that high-risk level over subsequent years, according to a new report by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS).

Researchers from Ten to Men – a longitudinal study which has been tracking over 16,000 boys and men over the last 10 years – surveyed males aged 10-57 years 4 times between 2013-14 and 2022.

Some boys (aged 10-17) also reported high-risk drinking. When first surveyed all were under the legal drinking age – yet 6% consumed around 9 standard drinks on a typical drinking occasion. Over the next decade, 13% of this group were consistently drinking at risky levels.

Across all age groups, consuming alcohol underage was shown to be a strong predictor of risky drinking in later life. Young adult men (aged 18-29) who consumed alcohol for the first time while underage were 4.4 times more likely to have high-risk drinking patterns over the subsequent 10 years than those who waited until they were of legal age.

Living in a regional area was also a strong predictor of later risky drinking. Boys (aged 10-17) living in a regional or rural area were almost twice as likely as their city-based peers to be drinking at risky levels over the subsequent 10-year period.

Lead of the Ten to Men program at AIFS, Dr Sean Martin, said the research highlights that for many men an unhealthy relationship with alcohol can start early and persist over years.

'What we can see through this longitudinal data is that drinking patterns are fairly well established by the time men reach the age of 30,' Dr Martin said.

'Drinking at risky levels doesn’t only occur on the cusp of adulthood, and during a man’s early 20s – it can also carry on when adult responsibilities ramp up, including work and family commitments and into middle age.

'For many men, unless they make a conscious decision to reduce their consumption, unhealthy drinking can affect work performance and relationships, as well physical and mental health,' Dr Martin said.

Dr Martin said surveying the same men over time helps pinpoint some of the predictors of high-risk drinking later in life.

'Boys living in rural and regional areas, boys or men who smoke or take illicit drugs, and older men with disability need to be a particular focus for policies and programs aimed at reducing alcohol harms,' Dr Martin.

Of adult men (aged 18-57), those who smoked and those who took illicit drugs were both at least twice as likely to drink at high-risk levels.

Older men (aged 45-57) with disability were more likely to drink at risky levels – consuming around 6 standard drinks on a typical drinking occasion – than those without disability.

According to the current national alcohol guidelines, adults should drink no more than 10 standard drinks a week and no more than 4 standard drinks on any one day. It is also recommended that children and young people under the age of 18 should not drink any alcohol.

Part of a series of research snapshots on male health based on Ten to Men data, the report can be accessed here: Australian male alcohol use and harm prevention across the life course.

Ten to Men is the largest longitudinal study on male health in the world. Funded by the Department of Health and Aged Care, the study has been tracking more than 16,000 boys and men since 2013, asking them about significant issues such as gambling, drinking, drug use, family violence, social connection and mental health.