Finally, the increase in frequency of consumption and the decrease in drinking volumes observed in relation to alcohol consumption in bars among drinkers aged 18 to 19 can be better understood as a compositional effect: a large number of relatively new moderate drinkers aged 18 to 19 probably started using pubs or nightclubs after the reduction in MPA. As a result, the average quantities used in these contexts have also decreased. For additional reasons, the average amounts of 18- to 19-year-olds drinking at home or at home increased accordingly (Table 3). In this case, the lower cost of alcohol purchased off-site for pre-loading purposes (consumption in unauthorized settings prior to going to a licensed snack) may have resulted in higher consumption in these settings [24]. Alcohol has been consumed in New Zealand since the arrival of Europeans. The most popular alcoholic beverage is beer. [1] The legal age to purchase alcohol is 18. [2] Table 4 presents important tests of the relationships between alcohol use in contexts and the risk of problematic outcomes. The table is divided into four sections, which focus on the risks of problems related to (A) alcohol use in each setting, (B) larger amounts in each setting (dose-response), (C) the association of lowered MPA with problems associated with each setting, and (D) the relationship between lowered MPA and dose-response. Sections A and B show the risks of alcohol consumption specific to the context prior to the MPA change. Sections C and D show the MPA`s associations with these relationships.

The non-significant direct post-MPA effect presented below in the table shows that context-specific measures explained the statistically marginal effects otherwise associated with the reduced MPA. The objectives of this document are to: (1) To determine whether greater legal availability is related to the increased use of licensed facilities by new drinkers aged 18 to 19 years in the post-MPA phase. Conversely, simultaneous improvements to photo identification requirements and penalties for the care of minors may reduce the use of licensed facilities by persons under the age of 18. (2) It should be determined whether the context of alcohol consumption is associated with risks for more than one alcohol problem. (3) To assess the extent to which risks of additional problems are associated with higher alcohol consumption in these settings. (4) Assessment of the extent to which context-specific risks and risks associated with alcohol consumption are related to the reduction of MPA in New Zealand. This study clearly shows how context-specific dose-response models are a way to dissociate various social and behavioural effects associated with the reduction of New Zealand MPA. After lowering MPA, more drinkers started drinking, drank more frequently, drank larger amounts on average in some new environments, and experienced additional risks associated with drinking alcohol in those environments.

The results of these analyses provide detailed support for changes previously detected after the MPA amendment [5–9]. They also show that the idea that commercial drinking establishments provide safe drinking water environments is most likely false [11-13]. Overall, young adolescents shifted consumption from a number of relatively moderate-risk drinking establishments to one with higher risk. In this group, when accounting for changes in the frequency and amounts of consumption associated with MPA, the annual number of alcohol use problems increased by 7.5% in all settings, with the largest increase observed in pubs and nightclubs (35.3%) and decreasing the most in other settings (−18, 8 %). Underage teens generally increased their alcohol consumption in non-commercial social settings, likely reflecting the increased availability of retail for their now adult acquaintances. Table 1 presents weighted descriptive statistics for all measures used in the study. Drinkers reported an average of 166 drinking occasions in the past year at all locations, half of which were at home (88). Typical drinks per occasion averaged 3.8 in all settings, ranging from 2.3 drinks in restaurants to 5.0 in pubs/nightclubs. The average drinker reported 9.6 alcohol problems in the past year, more than two-thirds of which were in the “perceived effects” category.

Average alcohol consumption values are consistently lower than mean values for all measures of alcohol use and problems, reflecting the influence of extreme cases on the estimation of averages. Sections C and D of Table 4 show the estimated relationships between reduced MPAs and context-specific risks for alcohol-related problems. With the exception of symptoms of dependence (G2 = 9.17, df = 10, p = n.s.), there were significant changes in context-specific dose-response that coincided with the change in MPA (G2 = 27.45 to 40.42, df = 10, p ≤ 0.002). In general, significant effects were concentrated in two contexts, pubs/nightclubs and other settings, for two categories of problems, heavy drinking and perceived effects of alcohol use. The incidence of alcohol problems in pubs and nightclubs increased after the change of MPA (Section C), while the relationship with higher alcohol consumption (Section D) decreased somewhat. This trend was particularly notable for measuring alcohol use disorders and the perceived effects of alcohol. The context-specific risks associated with drinking alcohol in pubs and nightclubs increased 3.17-fold, from 0.042 to 0.132 problems per occasion of alcohol consumption. The dose-response relationship decreased by a factor of 0.56, from 0.031 to 0.018. Since the dose-response relationship remained positive after the intervention, this translates into a more than 3-fold increase in rates of problems per opportunity associated with drinking alcohol in pubs or nightclubs at all amounts of alcohol consumption. A similar action model was obtained for other settings, but with a non-significant increase in context-specific risks after MPA and a significant decrease in dose-response relationship (by a factor of 0.45). Alcohol consumption was measured for 15 detailed consumption contexts. To simplify the analyses, they were divided into five categories: respondent`s home, other people`s homes, pubs/hotels/taverns as well as nightclubs, restaurants/cafes, and a residual category that includes all other contexts of alcohol consumption (including sports clubs, other clubs/gatherings, special events, theatres/films, workplaces, domestic air travel, private vehicles, sporting events and public places).

For each context, each drinker reported the number of occasions they drank in each context in the past year (frequency) and the typical amount of alcohol consumed in each setting (drinks per occasion, DPO).