(Bloomberg) -- In a land renowned for its love affair with beer, alcohol consumption has fallen to the lowest level in more than half a century.
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According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the equivalent of 186 million liters of pure alcohol was drunk in 2016-17, or the equivalent of 9.4 liters per person. That’s the lowest since 1961-62. The main driver for the fall was a drop in beer drinking, the bureau said.
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While the heaviest drinkers may not be cutting back, younger Australians are waiting longer before having their first drink, said Maree Teesson, a professor at the University of New South Wales Faculty of Medicine in Sydney. “We’re seeing these really positive trends,” she said.
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