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Alcohol, tobacco and other drug use continues to cause harm to individuals, families and communities. Drinking too much, smoking, and illicit drug use results in harms such as injuries, chronic diseases, premature death, as well as social and economic impacts.
Within the Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drugs Branch, the Prevention Team is responsible for the development and delivery of state-wide policies and programs to prevent or minimise alcohol, tobacco and other drug use and harm in Queensland.
For more information:
Alcohol, tobacco and other drug prevention involves measures that stop or delay the uptake of drug use, protect the healthy development of children and young people, and reduce harm associated with drug use.
Queensland Health's alcohol, tobacco and other drug prevention programs are delivered through the Queensland Drug Strategy 2006-2009.
Primary prevention
'Primary prevention' approaches focus on the whole population and certain groups that have a higher risk of experiencing drug-related harm, such as socially disadvantaged Queenslanders.
These programs look to prevent or delay people particularly children and young adults, from starting to use alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.
Secondary prevention
There are also a range of 'secondary prevention' programs that target individuals and groups who smoke or drink at harmful levels, and are at a higher risk of drug-related harms such as injury or developing chronic diseases.
These programs look to encourage and support individuals to change unhealthy behaviours such as tobacco smoking and harmful drinking.
Despite the widely held perception that drug-related problems are mainly caused by the use of illicit drugs, tobacco and alcohol are responsible for the most harm in our community.
Tobacco Smoking
While smoking rates have declined, tobacco use remains Queensland's leading cause of preventable death and illness.
Tobacco smoking is a proven risk factor for a range of chronic diseases and conditions including lung cancer and at least 13 other cancers, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
For more information about tobacco smoking, visit Drug Information.
Harmful Drinking
Harmful alcohol consumption is responsible for injury and disabilities, chronic diseases and premature death.
Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol on a single occasion, or repeated and regular high alcohol consumption causes short-term harms such as injury from violence and assault or road crashes, or health consequences in the long-term such as liver disease, cancers of the mouth, throat and oesophagus and alcohol dependence.
Drinking within the National Health and Medical Research Council low-risk drinking guidelines minimises the health risks. For more information, visit Drug Information.
To find out more about chronic disease including Queensland Health's Strategic Directions for the Prevention of Chronic Disease, visit the Population Health website.
For information about Queensland Health's prevention activities, visit Prevention Programs.
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