Hospital admissions for alcohol-associated hepatitis in Victoria more than doubled between January 2017 and February 2020 and March 2020 and June 2024, rising from 1132 to 2979, according to a new Burnet Institute study. The study found that four in 10 patients were under 46, and women accounted for more than one in three cases.
The study, commissioned by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE), analysed data from Victoria's statewide administrative health database. It found nearly 575 admissions were people younger than 35. Women's admissions more than doubled, from 443 between January 2017 and February 2020 to 1099 between March 2020 and June 2024.
Alcohol-associated hepatitis is an acute, potentially deadly inflammation of the liver caused by excessive drinking and marked by rapid-onset jaundice. In severe cases, it can lead to multi-organ failure.
Professor Jessica Howell of the Burnet Institute, a gastroenterologist and hepatologist at St Vincent’s Hospital and the Royal Melbourne Hospital, said admissions of alcohol-associated hepatitis among women were at a new normal. “Before COVID, the rate for women coming into hospital with this condition was really quite static, but it increased markedly during the pandemic,” she said. Howell said women in their 30s and 40s took on a significant burden during the pandemic, often juggling remote work and homeschooling. Others increased their alcohol intake after finding themselves in difficult situations, including domestic violence. She also said alcohol companies were targeting women with advertising campaigns. Howell said stigma and discrimination, along with competing family-care priorities, could make it difficult for women to access alcohol support services.
The study also found that men's hospitalisations had more than doubled.
Rachel Allen's son Dylan died in 2022 at age 26 from alcohol-induced hepatitis. She said the family desperately sought support for Dylan but encountered a fragmented healthcare system where it was difficult to get help for both his mental health issues and alcohol addiction. “The mental health hospital he was repeatedly admitted to would attempt to deal with his mental health by assigning him a psychiatrist; however, there wasn't an alcohol program there,” she said. Before he died, Dylan told his mother he wanted warning labels on alcohol. Allen has since been lobbying for that change.
FARE chief executive Ayla Chorley said the data showed alcohol harm was increasing even as the media reported younger people drinking less. “What this research demonstrates is that those who are drinking are doing so at higher risk levels and alcohol harm is becoming more hidden,” she said. Chorley called on the federal government to urgently act on recommendations from a recent federal inquiry into alcohol harm, including addressing prolific alcohol advertising and regulating rapid home delivery.
Nationally, deaths from alcohol-induced causes rose to 1829 in 2025, up from 1765 the previous year, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The findings challenge the perception that alcohol consumption is overall declining; they reveal a hidden rise in harmful drinking.
- The demographic shift to younger patients and women indicates a need for targeted health interventions and support.
- The increase strains the healthcare system with preventable, severe illnesses that require intensive hospital care.
Background
Alcohol-associated hepatitis is a life-threatening inflammation of the liver caused by excessive drinking, often leading to rapid jaundice and potentially multi-organ failure. The study, conducted by the Burnet Institute and commissioned by FARE, analysed Victorian hospital admissions data from 2017 to 2024. Historically, severe liver disease was mostly seen in older men, but the data shows a marked change during and after the pandemic.
Key Perspectives
Professor Jessica Howell: Says the rise in women's admissions has created a "new normal" that requires more research; cites pandemic pressures, advertising, and stigma as likely factors.
Ayla Chorley: Argues that while younger generations may drink less overall, those who do drink are doing so at riskier levels, with harm increasingly hidden in homes; calls for the federal government to act on advertising restrictions and home delivery regulation.
Rachel Allen: Shares that her son Dylan died at 26 from alcohol-induced hepatitis; criticises the fragmented healthcare system that could not address both his mental health and alcohol addiction, and advocates for warning labels on alcohol packaging.
What to Watch
- The federal government's response to the recent parliamentary inquiry recommendations on alcohol harm.
- Any regulatory changes addressing alcohol advertising and online home delivery services.
- Continued monitoring of hospital admissions data to see if the "new normal" persists or escalates.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
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- SupportedHospital admissions for alcohol-associated hepatitis in Victoria more than doubled between the two stated periods.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “They found between January 2017 and February 2020 there were 1132 admissions for alcohol-associated hepatitis. This number soared to 2979 admissions between March 2020 and June 2024”
- SupportedThe headline’s phrase “New normal” refers to Howell’s description of women’s admissions.Brisbane Times - Latest News: ““We are now seeing a new normal for admissions of alcohol-associated hepatitis among women,””
- SupportedAdmissions rose from 1,132 in the first period to 2,979 in the second.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “between January 2017 and February 2020 there were 1132 admissions for alcohol-associated hepatitis. This number soared to 2979 admissions between March 2020 and June 2024”
- SupportedFour in 10 patients were under 46.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “four out of every 10 patients hospitalised in Victoria with alcohol-associated hepatitis were now under the age of 46.”
- SupportedNearly 575 admissions were for people younger than 35.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “Almost 575 admissions were people under the age of 35”
- SupportedWomen accounted for more than one in three cases in Victoria.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “now account for more than one in three cases of alcohol-associated hepatitis in Victoria”
- SupportedHowell said women’s admissions had been static before COVID but increased markedly during the pandemic.Brisbane Times - Latest News: ““Before COVID, the rate for women coming into hospital with this condition was really quite static, but it increased markedly during the pandemic,” Howell said.”
- SupportedWomen’s admissions rose from 443 in the first period to 1,099 in the second.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “Between January 2017 and February 2020 there were 443 female admissions of alcohol-associated hepatitis. This soared to 1099 women hospitalised between March 2020 and June 2024.”
- SupportedHowell said women in their 30s and 40s carried a significant burden during the pandemic, often juggling remote work and homeschooling.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “Howell said women in their 30s and 40s took on a significant burden during the pandemic, often juggling working remotely and the responsibility of homeschooling.”
- SupportedAllen said the mental health hospital where Dylan was repeatedly admitted had no alcohol program.Brisbane Times - Latest News: ““The mental health hospital he was repeatedly admitted to would attempt to deal with his mental health by assigning him a psychiatrist; however, there wasn’t an alcohol program there,” she said.”
- SupportedChorley said those who drink are doing so at higher risk levels and alcohol harm is becoming more hidden.Brisbane Times - Latest News: ““What this research demonstrates is that those who are drinking are doing so at higher risk levels and alcohol harm is becoming more hidden,” Chorley said.”
- SupportedNational deaths from alcohol-induced causes rose to 1,829 in 2025 from 1,765 the previous year.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “The number of Australians who died from alcohol-induced causes rose to 1829 people in 2025, up from 1765 the previous year, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.”