Abstract
Of all legal and illegal substances alcohol is the one that most Australians regularly consume and for the majority it is a normal part of our cultural and social activities. However, alcohol is also a major factor in homicides, domestic violence, and police custodies. The material presented here suggests that the experience of alcohol-related disorder in our society is very common. Such disorder has implications for public policy, for not only does disorder contribute to a fear of crime; it contributes to the actual incidence of crime.
This Trends and Issues paper focuses on the victims of alcohol-related disorder, while a second paper will focus on the perpetrators of alcohol-related antisocial behaviour.