Small town New Zealand is consuming more alcohol than the big cities.\xa0
New Auckland University wastewater analysis has found New Zealanders over 15 years are having 1.2\xa0standard drinks per day on average, below the WHO's 2018 estimate.\xa0
South Islanders are consuming more than North Islanders, and towns have higher average consumption than cities.\xa0
Researcher Lisa Pilkington told Mike Hosking that increased drug use may be affecting alcohol consumption.\xa0
She says it would take long-term trends to see if illicit drugs are tracking higher and alcohol is lower.\xa0
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