Different harms, different patterns: unpacking alcohol’s harm to others in Australia

NCYSUR research fellow Dr Giang Vu disusses findings from analysis of data from the National Drug Strategy Household Survey

Alcohol’s effects extend beyond the person drinking. Partners, relatives, friends and strangers may experience consequences ranging from verbal abuse and fear to physical harm.

These experiences are often grouped under the broad label of “alcohol’s harm to others.” However, new research from the University of Queensland’s National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research shows that different forms of harm affect population groups differently—and may require different prevention responses.

Examining three forms of harm

The researchers analysed data from 21,097 adults participating in the 2022–2023 National Drug Strategy Household Survey.

Participants reported whether, during the preceding 12 months, someone under the influence of alcohol had verbally abused them, physically abused them or put them in fear.

Overall, 18.2 per cent of Australian adults reported verbal abuse, 5.5 per cent reported physical abuse and 12.1 per cent reported being put in fear. Although these national estimates provide important context, the study’s key contribution was examining which groups were more likely to experience each type of harm after accounting for other measured characteristics.

Different harms showed different patterns

Some factors were associated with all three harms. First Nations respondents had elevated adjusted odds of verbal abuse, physical abuse and being put in fear, with the largest disparity observed for physical abuse.

These findings should be understood within their broader historical, structural and social contexts—not attributed to First Nations people’s own alcohol consumption. The relatively small number of First Nations respondents also limited the precision of the estimates, highlighting the need for larger, community-led research.

People who were not partnered also had elevated adjusted odds across all three harms. The association was strongest for physical abuse, with unpartnered adults experiencing more than twice the adjusted odds reported among partnered adults. The survey did not establish why this pattern occurred or identify the settings in which the harm took place.

Other associations differed by harm type. Women had 73 per cent higher adjusted odds than men of being put in fear, but gender was not independently associated with verbal or physical abuse.

Respondents’ own risky drinking was associated with elevated odds of verbal and physical abuse from others, but not with being put in fear. This should not be interpreted as placing responsibility on people who experience harm. Instead, it may reflect differences in exposure to social environments in which alcohol is consumed.

Together, the findings show that factors associated with one form of alcohol-related harm cannot automatically be assumed to apply to another.

Implications for prevention

The results suggest that reducing alcohol’s harm to others will require a combination of population-wide and more targeted approaches.

Population-level policies addressing alcohol’s affordability, availability and marketing may help reduce widespread verbal and physical harms. However, the gendered pattern associated with fear points to the potential value of closer coordination between alcohol-harm prevention and family and domestic violence prevention. The disparities affecting First Nations respondents also reinforce the importance of culturally safe, community-led research and responses addressing structural determinants of harm.

The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot establish that any measured characteristic caused an experience of harm. It also relied on self-reported experiences and did not identify who caused the harm, their relationship to the respondent or where the incident occurred.

In addition, the household survey excludes some populations likely to face elevated risks, including people experiencing homelessness and people in custodial settings. The findings may therefore underestimate the overall burden.

Despite these limitations, the study demonstrates why alcohol’s harm to others should not be treated as a single, uniform outcome. Understanding who experiences different harms—and the contexts in which they occur—will be essential for developing more effective and equitable prevention responses.

Publication

Vu, G.T., Valeria, A., Johnson, B., Connor, J., Chan, G. and Leung, J. (2026). Alcohol’s harm to others among adults in Australia: findings from the 2022–2023 national drug and health household survey. International Journal of Drug Policy, 156, 105444. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2026.105444

Related media: Women bear the brunt of alcohol-related fear – UQ News

Acknowledgement

This research was funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care under the Drug and Alcohol Program.

Dr Vu will present this work at APSAD in November 2026.

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