Drinking concerns prevalent in Australia

SYDNEY, May 8 (UPI) -- Results of a poll commissioned by a public health group indicate the majority of Australian residents are concerned about their country's drinking habits.

The Australian Broadcasting Corp. said Friday 80 percent of the people who took part in the Alcohol Education Rehabilitation Foundation poll are concerned a national drinking problem is prevalent in Australia.

The 2009 percentage represented a marked increase from the 63 percent of respondents who offered a similar take on Australia's drinking patterns in 2008.

Scott Wilson, chairman of the health group, said the polling increase was a positive step for Australia given the importance of problem awareness when dealing with alcohol issues.

"Awareness is always the first step towards change, and this indicates quite a remarkable shift in awareness within little more than 12 months," Wilson said.

"We still have a way to go in seeing this attitudinal shift translate into firm action on the part of the community, the government, and the alcohol industry."

Specific details of the 2009 poll, including the number of respondents and margin of error, were not reported.