“If I wanna get really drunk I would drink vodka”: drink choices associated with acute intoxication for young Australians.

Background: While survey data can provide information on alcohol products favoured by those who drink to intoxication, it is more difficult to get information on what they drink when they are consuming at a level which places them at high risk of harm. Objectives: To use complementary quantitative and qualitative data to investigate what young risky drinkers drink, and what they drink when they are drinking heavily. Methods: Three thousand, two hundred and twenty-six respondents aged 18–24 from the Australian state of Victoria answered questions in the Victorian youth alcohol and drug survey on their drinking habits and usual drinking choice. Sixty qualitative interviews were also conducted with Victorian 18–24-year olds. In each study, regular drinkers to acute intoxication (RDAIs), those who drank more than 10 Australian standard drinks in a session and drank to the point of forgetting afterwards, were compared to those who did not meet both of these criteria. Results: RDAIs were more likely to drink beer, cask wine, spirits and ready to drink spirits; however, they also consumed more drink types than non-RDAIs. Qualitative interviews highlighted spirits, particularly shots, as a popular drink of choice when intoxication was the aim and or/outcome. Conclusion: Young people appear to prefer spirits when intending to get drunk, however, there is also evidence to show that RDAIs will drink whatever is to hand. Motives behind drink choice for RDAIs include the value for money, where the value is gauged by the amount of alcohol per drink or by the speed of intoxication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]