Australians are drinking much less beer.
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But Territorians are still doing most of the heavy lifting.
According to the latest research, beer has gone from making up 75 per cent of alcohol consumed about 40 years ago to about 40 per cent today.
Beer is still the leader but wine has grown from 14.4 per cent of the national share to 38.6 per cent.
The NT remains the centre for both heavy drinking, and smoking, more than double most other states.
Alcohol abuse has been highlighted as one of the Territory's biggest problems.
The research from the Australian Bureau of Statistics said consumption of spirits rose in Australia in 2017-18, bucking a recent downward trend, while consumption of other alcoholic drinks were either steady or falling.
ABS acting director of Health Statistics, Robert Long, said: "In 2017-18, the total alcohol consumed in Australia was equivalent to 9.51 litres for every person in Australia aged 15 years and over, similar to the 9.48 litres in 2016-17.
"In average daily consumption, this equates to 2.08 standard drinks per person and is unchanged from 2016-17.
"What is interesting is that we are seeing a rise in spirit consumption which has been on a recent downward trend," he said.
Spirits and Ready to Drink beverage consumption increased from 1.79 to 1.89 litres per capita over the previous year.
Overall drinking is still at 50-year lows, according to Alcohol Beverages Australia.
"It's really important that we understand the bigger picture at play here," the group's CEO Andrew Wilsmore said,
"The data still shows a long-term decline in consumption which means the vast majority of Australians are enjoying alcohol responsibly and in moderation."
"The small rise in consumption of spirits reflects the growing number of boutique distilleries and cocktail bars which has led to increased choices for consumers. There has been significant innovation in this area in the last couple of years," he said.
"While the mix of what people are drinking is changing, overall, we know from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare that drinking at harmful levels and underage drinking is at record lows, and those statistics are more insightful than per capita figures."
"A significant cultural shift has taken place, with the largest decline in figures coming from young people aged 18-24, who are drinking far less than any generation before them."
"Australians are increasingly taking control of their own health and well-being and these statistics show that Australians can be trusted to do the right thing when it comes to moderate and responsible drinking" says Wilsmore.
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