title: Correlates and motives of pre-drinking with intoxication and harm around licensed venues in two cities.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study investigates the prevalence of pre-drinking culture in the night-time economy (NTE) and its impact upon intoxication and alcohol-related harm and violence experienced by patrons.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional surveys were conducted in and around licensed venues in Newcastle (NSW) and Geelong (Victoria) during peak trading hours (typically 9pm-1am). Participants completed a five minute structured interview which targeted: demographics, past and planned movements on the survey night, safety/experience of harm, and patron intoxication. 3949 people agreed to be interviewed, a response rate of 90.7%. Around half (54.9%) of interviewees were male and mean age was 24.4 years (SD = 5.8).
  
  
  RESULTS
  66.8% of participants reported pre-drinking prior to attending licensed venues. On a 1-10 scale measuring self-rated intoxication, pre-drinkers scored significantly higher compared to non pre-drinkers (P < 0.001). Compared to non-pre-drinkers, patrons who had consumed 6-10 standard pre-drinks were 1.5 times more likely to be involved in a violent incident in the past 12 months (OR = 1.50, 95%CI 1.03-2.19, P = 0.037) increasing to 1.8 times more likely for patrons who had 11-15 drinks (OR = 1.80, 95%CI 1.04-3.11 P = .036). Pre-drinking was also associated with both self-rated and observer-rated intoxication, as well as increased probability of illicit drug use. Amongst pre-drinkers, price was the most commonly reported motive for pre-drinking (51.8%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  'Pre-drinking' was normal behaviour in the current sample and contributes significantly to the burden of harm and intoxication in the NTE. Price disparity between packaged vs. venue liquor is a key motivator for pre-drinking.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia.
authors.forename: Nic
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Droste
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia.
authors.forename: Florentine
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: de Groot
authors.affiliation: School of Criminology, Faculty of Arts and Education, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Darren
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Palmer
authors.affiliation: Wallsend Health Services, Hunter New England Population Health, Newcastle, Australia.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3674-9510
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tindall
authors.affiliation: Biostatistics Unit, Office of Pro Vice-Chancellor-Health, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Lucy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Busija
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia.
authors.forename: Shannon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hyder
authors.affiliation: Wallsend Health Services, Hunter New England Population Health, Newcastle, Australia.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gilham
authors.affiliation: Wallsend Health Services, Hunter New England Population Health, Newcastle, Australia.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wiggers
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000434:Alcoholic Beverages / Q000191:economics; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D003132:Commerce / Q000191:economics; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology; D012147:Restaurants / Q000191:economics*; D014739:Victoria / Q000453:epidemiology; D014754:Violence; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: aggression; alcohol drinking; alcoholic beverage; alcoholic intoxication; violence