Why there has never been a better time to cut down your drinking

It'll save you in more ways than one

Australia’s tax on spirits is expected to exceed the $100 per litre mark. Image: Pexels

The price of alcohol is tipped to go up and even in moderation, it's not doing your health any favours. So, is now the best time to quit booze for good?

Did you know in some cases, 60 per cent of what you pay for a bottle of spirits goes straight to the tax man? Wild right?

What's even wilder, is that Australia’s tax on spirits is expected to exceed the $100 per litre mark for the first time, in the coming days.

The latest excise increase follows hikes of 4.1 per cent last year and another 3.7 per cent in early 2023, which is in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

Think of it in a similar vein to your interest rate rises, except this time, perhaps you won't be able to enjoy a nightcap at home because it's too exxy to do that as well as cover the mortgage.

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Australia already has the third-highest spirits tax in the world, Greg Holland, the chief executive of Spirits and Cocktails told The Canberra Times.

"Approaching the $100 per litre threshold six years earlier than previously forecast must surely give the Federal Government pause to reconsider this handbrake on the spirits industry.

"Australia already has the third-highest spirits tax in the world. These automatic excise increases can't continue unchecked. If not now, when will it stop?" Holland added.

Being stung exorbitantly for that gin and tonic or spicy margarita does seem like a kick to the guts, but there is a good side to this tax - it might be just what our health needs.

"Alcohol consumption is one of the major modifiable risk factors for disease. And not just one disease, a lot of them," practising dietitian, Chloe McLeod told Body+Soul.

"Increased risk of heart attack, stroke, liver disease and digestive problems, along with a plethora of cancers, including breast, mouth, throat, liver and colon cancer, as well as a number of mental and behavioural disorders."

Will this tax hike impact the way you consume alcohol? Image: iStock

For example, "Compared to women who don't drink at all, women who have three alcoholic drinks per week have a 15 per cent higher risk of breast cancer. Experts estimate that the risk of breast cancer goes up another 10 per cent for each additional drink women regularly have each day," McLeod explained.

If the latest alcohol tax is making you seriously reconsider teetotalling, just remember that you won't be alone. In fact, Aussies are drinking way less these days than they used to.

"Alcohol consumption has been decreasing here since about 2007, and we've seen a 10 per cent reduction in per capita consumption across the whole population," Dr Michael Livingston, associate professor at the National Drug Research Institute at Curtin University, said in 2022.

And those cutting down on, or quitting the drink aren't who you'd expect.

It's never been more popular to be sober. Image: Getty

"It's being driven by big shifts amongst teenagers and young adults; they're drinking significantly less than previous generations did at the same age," Livingston added.

According to a survey by International Wine and Spirit Research, 71 per cent of Australians went into 2022 planning to reduce alcohol consumption.

Given these stats and the correlations between alcohol and chronic disease, it could be worth swapping at least a couple of those spicy margaritas for sparkling waters. Not to mention you'll have more dollars in the bank, too.

Originally published as Why there has never been a better time to cut down your drinking