Schoolies culture change sees less drinking and more alcohol-free fun
Fresh research has confirmed that the culture within schoolies has changed rapidly, as revellers are prioritising alcohol-free activities with friends more than ever.
The research by DrinkWise found that nine in 10 attendees did things that didn’t involve alcohol last year, with 33 per cent even choosing to exercise alongside their friends.
Chris George, the national schoolies director for youth support program Red Frogs Australia, said there had been a large shift in the culture and drinking behaviour of young people attending the traditional end-of-year celebrations.
“During the two weeks of our call centre, we receive just shy of 8000 phone calls and of those calls, just over 600 were from friends concerned about other friends that had consumed too much alcohol,” he said.
“Binge drinking is still evident in Australia, but we have seen it change over the 27 years that Frogs have been around for the better.”
He said people on schoolies were generally more health conscious than previously and often prioritised quality over quantity when it came to choices in alcohol.
“Instead of getting trolleyed, they’ll still have a couple of drinks, but they’re going to bed earlier and waking up earlier,” George said.
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“Cafe culture is quite alive even on schoolies; they’re up early and having a cup of coffee and replacing booze for boost juices.”
71 per cent of schoolies goers reported enjoying days on the beach alcohol-free. Photo: AAPDrinkWise’s research supported this, finding that 85 per cent of schoolies attendees reported choosing to alternate between full-strength alcohol and zero-alcohol drinks to help pace their drinking (31 per cent) and avoid getting drunk (29 per cent).
Abstention trend
Another factor that has contributed to the culture change is the global trend of young people drinking less or shunning alcohol completely, according to Tina Lam, a senior research fellow at the Monash Addiction Research Centre.
“Young people are drinking less and less these days, which is a good news story for public health,” she said.
“Risky drinking among 16 and 17-year-olds has more than halved over the past decade, with this rate falling from 23 per cent in 2022 down to 8.8 per cent in 2022 and 2023.”
Lam said that awareness of the risks of drinking by parents, the price of alcohol and social factors had all contributed to a reduction in risky drinking.
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“There are still harms that need to be addressed and we need to have all these public health measures in place,” she said.
“The strongest evidence base we have for reducing alcohol-related harms includes price-based alcohol measures and restricting the type of alcohol marketing that we can see.”
Lam added that the reduction in risky drinking had been a global trend over several decades.
Risks and regrets
DrinkWise chief executive Simon Strahan welcomed the shift in culture and behaviour but said some people still drank at risky levels.
“It’s great to see attendees are prioritising alcohol-free activities like exercising, going to the beach and dining at restaurants,” he said.
“Twenty-six per cent of schoolies attendees are still choosing to drink every day and 14 per cent are regretting their actions due to excessive alcohol consumption.”
The research found that 20 per cent of respondents reported drinking more after attending schoolies, highlighting the risk of addiction.
George said that official events, proactive councils and education in the schooling system have contributed to a positive shift in culture.
“With the Red Frogs, we are doing high school talks in over 400 schools across Australia,” he said.
“What we’re seeing is early invention is schools is giving them the tools and resources to be able to know what to expect and also tips and tricks on how to navigate schoolies.”
