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What can public health surveillance of emergency department presentations for acute alcohol problems tell us about social trends in drinking behaviour?

David J Muscatello, Sarah V Thackway, Daniel A Belshaw and David McGrath
Med J Aust 2009; 191 (4): . || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2009.tb02768.x
Published online: 17 August 2009

To the Editor: Since colonial times, alcohol has been central to Australia’s political, cultural and social fabric.1 In the past year, concern about alcohol misuse has re-emerged as a dominant feature in the political landscape.


  • NSW Department of Health, Sydney, NSW.


Correspondence: dmusc@doh.health.nsw.gov.au

  • 1. Midford R. Australia and alcohol: living down the legend. Addiction 2005; 100: 891-896.
  • 2. Charalambous MP. Alcohol and the accident and emergency department: a current review. Alcohol Alcohol 2002; 37: 307-312.
  • 3. Indig D, Copeland J, Conigrave KM, Rotenko I. Why are alcohol-related emergency department presentations under-detected? An exploratory study using nursing triage text. Drug Alcohol Rev 2008; 29: 1-7.
  • 4. Livingston M. Recent trends in risky alcohol consumption and related harm among young people in Victoria, Australia. Aust N Z J Public Health 2008; 32: 266-271.
  • 5. Distilled Spirits Industry Council of Australia. Improving Australia’s System of alcohol taxation — the first phase. Melbourne: DSICA, 2008. http://taxreview.treasury.gov.au/content/submissions/pre_14_november_2008/Distilled_Spirits_Industry_Council_of_Australia.pdf (accessed Jul 2009).
  • 6. Moore E, Coffey C, Carlin JB, et al. Assessing alcohol guidelines in teenagers: results from a 10-year prospective study. Aust N Z J Public Health 2009; 33: 154-159.

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