Alcohol

The pub has an important but flawed place in Australian culture, and it's also helped shape our politics.

You might not have noticed, but Australia's biggest liquor retailers are now selling vast numbers of their own private-label wine, beer and pre-mixes. It's leading to concerns about a further concentration of market power. 

After "leaning on" alcohol during COVID, Mr Minns decided to try to stop drinking for a month. He soon discovered not drinking led to "massive positive change" in his life.

The NT's Independent Commissioner Against Corruption has reminded people with real or perceived conflicts of interest "to take no part in the performance of duties to which there is a conflict".

Police have cracked down on alcohol-fuelled offending in remote areas of WA but health workers fear trust would be broken if they put clients on the Banned Drinkers Register.

The image of Barnaby Joyce, sprawled drunk on a Canberra footpath during a parliament sitting week, has raised uncomfortable questions for the political class about standards of behaviour and whether those expectations are consistently applied across gender and race, writes Patricia Karvelas.

Kegs are being stolen in their hundreds every week from brewers, pubs and bars, costing independent businesses dearly. Thieves are operating in the dead of night and in some cases removing tracking devices from kegs, leading to speculation over who is responsible.

February is here, and Dr Sandro Demaio has joined thousands of Aussies to hit pause on a habit in his life — drinking alcohol. This is why.

A year on from the return of alcohol bans in Aboriginal town camps and communities, progress on alcohol-related harm and violence remains an uphill battle.

A year on from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's visit to Alice Springs, progress on alcohol-related harm and violence remains an uphill battle.

Despite blanket alcohol bans being reimposed on Aboriginal town camps and communities, progress on alcohol-related harm and violence remains an uphill battle in Alice Springs.

More than half the cost of a bottle of spirits goes to the tax office. Distillers want a two-year pause on the "outrageous" excise, but the Alcohol and Drug Foundation says it's necessary to stop harmful drinking.

A trial pushing back the weekday opening hours of Darwin bottle shops will end after six weeks, as the NT police minister says the change has had no "massive impact" and led to instances of alcohol abuse in licensed venues.   

In Alice Springs, addiction has a stranglehold. But a group of local Aboriginal men are hoping to break cycles, one conversation at a time.

The director of liquor licensing issues a show cause notice to liquor retailers in Broome and Derby to provide reasons why they should not implement the stringent new restrictions from February 23.

Karl O'Callaghan is urging the state's director of liquor licensing to consider a police proposal to restrict the sale of alcohol in more regional areas, warning "children's lives at stake".

Travel insurance can give you the protection you need if your holiday doesn't go as planned. But don't count on it if something happens to you and alcohol is a factor.

As we enter the festive season it's a good time to think about what all those celebratory alcoholic drinks can do to your gut, writes Vincent Ho.

The ABC ventures out in the hours after midnight on a Tuesday morning to the pub gaming rooms that are open all night, every night. Gambling researchers say it's when gambling harm is at its greatest.

Random breath testing has been a familiar part of Australia's road safety landscape for decades, but when it was introduced it was seen as a radical move.

The state's transport department is looking into ways to further address drink riding, in an effort to protect road and footpath users.

New alcohol restrictions were introduced in the popular outback tourism town last week, but a local business group is concerned that the three-month trial aimed at curbing antisocial behaviour will not address a "crime wave". 

The latest National Health Survey shows the number of Australians smoking each day continues to drop. 

A new police unit is being established in the Northern Territory to tackle alcohol-fuelled crime, as the government attempts to reassure the public it's devoting resources to addressing antisocial behaviour.

The ABC this week revealed WA Police support widespread liquor restrictions across much of the state amid a doubling of alcohol-related family violence in parts of regional WA. But this information almost didn't see the light of day.