Epidemiology, Etiology, and Motivation of Alcohol Misuse Among Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders of the Northern Territory: A Descriptive Review

Abstract

The per capita alcohol consumption of the Northern Territory, Australia, is second highest in the world, estimated 15.1 liters of pure alcohol per year. Alcohol abuse is a major public health concern among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the Northern Territory consume approximately 16.9 liters of pure alcohol per year. This descriptive review is based on current published and grey literature in the context of high risk alcohol use, with a special focus on the epidemiological, etiological, and social factors, to predict alcohol misuse among the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in Northern Territory. The methodology involved a descriptive search on PubMed, Northern Territory government reports, health databases, and Web sites with an emphasis on the etiology and epidemiology of high-risk alcohol consumption among the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders of the Northern Territory. This review has its own limitations because it does not rely on systematic review methodologies. However, it presents real data on the motives for binge drinking and alcohol-related violent assaults of this vulnerable population. Alcohol abuse and alcohol-related harms are considerably high among the rural and remote communities where additional research is needed. High-risk alcohol misuse within Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders communities often leads to a series of physical and social consequences. This review highlights the need for culturally appropriate intervention approaches focusing on alcohol misuse among the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders population of the Northern Territory.

Targeting Escalation and Harm in Intimate Partner Violence: Evidence from Northern Territory Police, Australia

“…In the Northern Territory, Aboriginal women are 40 times more likely than White women to be hospitalised as a result of violent assaults, most of which are committed by heavily intoxicated intimate partners (Ramamoorthi et al 2015). Factors impacting on vulnerability to IPV for Aboriginal people in the NT include isolation or remoteness, inability to leave the community, lack of access to services, language barriers and economic status (National Council to Reduce Violence Against Women and Their Children 2009; Chung et al 2000).…”

“…The reliance on 'takeaway' alcohol, a common method of supply in the NT, has led to a proliferation of takeaway alcohol outlets resulting in increased overall consumption and more heavy drinking (Livingston, 2011). Alcohol is the factor most strongly associated with the risk of violent victimisation among Aboriginal people (Mouzos and Makkai 2004;Ramamoorthi et al 2015) and intimate partner deaths involving an Indigenous offender and victim are 13 times more likely to be related to alcohol than any other kind of homicide in Australia (Deardon and Payne 2009). Data relating to alcohol involvement in the IPV incidents in this data set confirm these earlier findings.…”

Reasons for Cigarillo Initiation and Cigarillo Manipulation Methods among Adolescents

“…Qualitative study findings show that cigarillos are mainly manipulated and used as blunts by young adults. 13,27 Smoking blunts can expose users to high levels of nicotine, as well as to other toxicants, and increases the odds of being dependent on cannabis and nicotine. 28,29 Although half of U.S. adolescents who have used cannabis also have used blunts, there is limited information on how adolescents are manipulating cigarillos to create blunts.…”

“…We hypothesized that many adolescents would manipulate cigarillos by adding marijuana to create blunts, based on the evidence that this manipulation method is also popular among young adults. 13,27 …”

Chokeberries (Aronia melanocarpa) and Their Products as a Possible Means for the Prevention and Treatment of Noncommunicable Diseases and Unfavorable Health Effects Due to Exposure to Xenobiotics

“…The consumption of alcoholic beverages is a very common custom all over the world (Ali and others ). Unfavorable health effects of excessive ethanol intake are well known and widely reported (Petti and others ; Ramamoorthi and others ). The main effects of toxic action of ethanol involve liver damage and depression of the central nervous system (Niedworok and others ; Valcheva‐Kuzmanova and others ; Valcheva‐Kuzmanova ).…”