A 53-year-old mother out-drinking her 19-year-old son may be surprising, but new data shows this is a common trend for Australia's older generations.

Maria Smith, 53, who lives in Sydney, drinks around 20 glasses of wine a week. Her son Isaak, 19, drinks half that amount.

And they're not alone.

The ABC's Australia Talks National Survey showed the Smith family's drinking habits are very similar to the rest of Australia's, with 50- to 64-year-olds drinking significantly more daily and weekly than 18- to 24-year-olds.

The survey revealed that only 3 per cent of the younger generation drink more than 10 drinks a week, compared with a quarter of all 50- to 64-year-olds.

Likewise, only 1 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds said they drink daily, compared with 12 per cent of the older generation.

Drinking patterns change as people age

While the Smith family were surprised at these figures, once they compared their daily and weekly drinking, the differences were revealed.

"I don't drink maybe one or two nights but other than that … it's probably a couple glasses of wine every night," Maria said.

While Isaak shares a glass or two of wine with his parents a couple of nights a week, he skips the weekend binge enjoyed by many in his age group.

Both Maria and Isaak said money was a big factor in why they drink at different rates.

"We've got the means to get better stuff," Maria said.

"The $50 bottle of wine is obviously a lot more attainable."

For Isaak's peers, it's a different story.

"I drink wine because my parents drink it and pay for it," Isaak said.

"But most of the kids my age want to save up for travel or cars and other things, so I just don't think they feel they have as much disposable income to spend on alcohol."

'The kids are alright'

The Australia Talks findings are in line with analysis of five sets of data from the National Drug Strategy Household Survey from 2001 to 2013.

It showed that per capita alcohol consumption in Australia fell by 10.5 per cent from 2007, with two-thirds of the decline coming from people under 30 drinking less.

At the same time, 60- to 69-year-olds increased their alcohol consumption by 6 per cent.

"Younger people do drink less often, but when they drink, they drink more per occasion," said Sarah Callinan, senior research fellow at the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research.

"And as we age, we start drinking more often but drinking less per drinking occasion."

Dr Callinan disagrees with the idea that younger generations are using illicit drugs in place of alcohol.

"Young people do use more illicit drugs than older people, but that has been consistently true over time," she said.

"This current generation of young people are less likely to use or consume illicit drugs than the generation before them.

"The kids are alright. They're pretty good."

But Melinda Lucas, an Alcohol and Drug Foundation spokesperson, said now is not the time to rest on our laurels.

"Even though we've seen this downward trend, we can't just pat ourselves on the back and say look at all the great work we've been doing. There's still a lot of consistent work to be done," she said.

"The harms associated with alcohol are trending upwards, even though consumption of alcohol as a whole is trending down."

Risky drinking happens at home, not just in pubs

Dr Callinan said it was not the case that the harms of alcohol mostly occur in licensed venues.

"Sixty-three per cent of all alcohol consumption in Australia happens in the drinker's own home and particularly for older drinkers, more than 70 per cent of their consumption happens in their own home," she said.

"I do think that there is this idea that risky drinking is what young people do in pubs. But if you assume most drinks have some sort of long-term risks attached to them, a lot of that consumption is the more boring, seemingly safe consumption that's in the home."

Anthony Shakeshaft, deputy director at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, said the drinking habits of both generations have significant risks attached.

"The two ways we think about problem drinking is about how much people drink all the time, we call that lifetime risk, and that's more than two standard drinks a day. The other one is the single occasion that is five or more [drinks a day]," he said.

"The risks are different. For the single-occasion drinking, the risks are accidents, injuries, falls, drinking driving. For the lifetime risks, it's more diseases."

Some lifetime disease risks linked to regular alcohol consumption are cardiovascular diseases, cirrhosis of the liver and an increase in a range of cancers, including bowel cancer in men and breast cancer in women.

Professor Shakeshaft advises all Australians that the best way to avoid single-occasion and lifetime risks is by drinking within the National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines.

The current guidelines advise Australians to drink no more than 14 standard drinks a week or four standard drinks on a single occasion.

According to the ABC's Australia Talks National Survey, 10 per cent of people exceed the guidelines and drink more than 14 drinks a week, with 13 per cent of 50- to 64-year-olds drinking 15 or more standard drinks.

The survey also showed that on a night out, 8 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds drink at least 10 drinks in one hit, while only 4 per cent of 50- to 64-year-olds drink the same amount.

More focus on the long-term risks

Michael Thorn, chief executive of the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education, said a greater focus is put on single-occasion risks because "when young people die, the media pays attention and ultimately governments have to act", but he argued the focus was at the wrong end of the continuum.

"Australia needs a public awareness campaign [for older generations] that tells the truth about long-term risks of alcohol consumption and it needs it now," he said.

"We need messages that cut through and a simple message that says alcohol causes cancer is what would do the trick.

"We should recognise that alcohol is not just a problem of young people … that older people are increasingly the victims of alcohol harm.

"But the message to Australians is that we need to be drinking less and we need to be drinking in ways that reduce risk."

Different messages for each generation

Maria and Isaak Smith encourage both generations to drink in moderation. ( ABC News: Harry Gratton )

The Smith family believe both their generations need to remember some simple messages.

Maria Smith reassures the older generations that they do not have to give up alcohol completely, but the key is to moderate their alcohol intake.

Isaak Smith said the most important advice for young people just beginning to drink was "don't feel peer pressured".

The Australia Talks National Survey asked 54,000 Australians about their lives and what keeps them up at night. Use our interactive tool to see the results and how their answers compare with yours.

Then, tune in at 8.30pm on November 18, as the ABC hosts a live TV event with some of Australia's best-loved celebrities exploring the key findings of the Australia Talks National Survey.