The health burden of harm to others is larger than harm to the drinker in Aotearoa New Zealand, with disability from foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) the main contributor, according to a modelling study using administrative data. In 2018, alcohol’s harm to others was responsible for the loss of 78,277 disability adjusted life years (DALYs), as a result of FASD (90.3%), traffic crashes (6.3%) and interpersonal violence (3.4%). Māori were disproportionately affected, with 25 DALYs lost per 1000 population, compared with 15 per 1000 population among non Māori. The total impact to drinkers themselves was the loss of 60,174 DALYs. The study authors noted that quantification of the burden of harm informs the value of implementing effective alcohol policies.
