Alcohol available per person lowest in 18 years

The total volume of pure alcohol available for consumption, expressed in terms of the number of standard drinks per person, fell 4.1 percent in 2015, to the lowest level in the last 18 years, Statistics New Zealand said today. “New Zealanders aged 18 and over are now drinking on average the equivalent of two standard drinks per person per day, down from 2.1 in 2014,” international statistics senior manager Jason Attewell said. “This is the equivalent of 500ml of 5 percent alcohol beer, or two glasses of wine per person per day.”