title: Alcohol policy impact on young risky drinkers and their support for proposed measures.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the impacts of existing policies on young Australian risky drinkers' access to alcohol and to gauge their support for proposed alcohol measures.
  
  
  METHODS
  The 16-19 year old participants were recruited from three Australian states using non-random convenience sampling, for either a face-to-face or online quantitative survey (N=958). The sample was deliberately selected to represent drinkers whose consumption placed them in the riskiest drinking 20-25% of their age bracket.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Half (49%) the sample who were younger than the Australian legal purchase age reported it was 'easy' to buy alcohol from bottle stores, and 75% of those who had tried to purchase alcohol, said it was 'easy' the last time they tried. Half of those under 18, who had attempted to enter a licensed venue, reported they did not have their identification checked last time they gained access. Ninety per cent of all respondents drank within a private location at their last risky drinking session. Sixty-five per cent supported 'increasing the price of [alcohol by 20¢] a standard drink if the extra 20¢ was used to support prevention and treatment of alcohol problems'.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Age- or intoxication-based restrictions to alcohol were commonly bypassed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Point-of-sale alcohol controls require improvement to prevent under age access. Given that a significant proportion of drinking occasions for those under 18 were in private premises, prevention strategies need to target these locations. There were diverse levels of support for strategies to reduce harm, including potential community backing for an evidence-based proposed price policy.
authors.affiliation: National Drug Research Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Western Australia.
authors.forename: Tina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: Simon R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Lenton
authors.forename: Lucinda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aiken
authors.forename: Rowan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ogeil
authors.forename: William T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Gilmore
authors.forename: Tanya N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Chikritzhs
authors.forename: Belinda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lloyd
authors.forename: Dan I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Lubman
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mattick
authors.forename: Steve J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Allsop
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000517:prevention & control; D000434:Alcoholic Beverages / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001315:Australia; D063425:Binge Drinking / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D040261:Harm Reduction; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011640:Public Policy; D012309:Risk-Taking; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: alcohol; alcohol availability; alcohol policy; risky single occasion drinking; young people