Researchers from the University of Adelaide in Australia released the first ever Global Statistics on Addictive Behaviours: 2014 Status Report. The study was published Tuesday in a journal called "Addiction," according to a press release from the university.
The study finds that Australians indulge in tobacco and alcohol as heavily as the British and they are also more prone to taking illegal drugs such as ecstasy, cannabis and amphetamines.
During the course of a 12-month period, about 10.3 percent of Australians indulge in cannabis as compared to five to seven percent of British individuals. At least three percent of Australians are into ecstasy, compared to up to 1.7 percent of U.K. users. About 2.1 percent of Australians have experimented with amphetamines, while only 1.1 to 1.7 percent of British indulge in this drug form.
Meanwhile, both Australians and British rate high when it comes to alcohol indulgence – with 84 percent and 83.9 percent respectively. But individuals in the United Kingdom are more likely to develop alcohol disorder compared to Australians and Americans.
Smoking among the British is also more common than for Australians.
The study did not focus on United States trends, according to a report in the Daily Mail.
"The report found alcohol and tobacco are the most common addictions in most countries and they are also the most harmful. Eleven percent of deaths in males and six percent of deaths in females are linked to tobacco each year globally. Alcoholism is associated with a range of health issues and takes years off someone's life," said Associate Professor Linda Gowing, the lead author of the report, as published in the press release.
The researchers hope that the study will provide valuable data for policy makers in their push to curb global addictions and vices, especially in Australia.
