Alcohol Experiences and Concerns of Newly Arrived Migrant Women

Migrant women are under-represented as users of alcohol and otherdrug (AOD) services. This study examined AOD use by newly arrived women, identifyingissues of concern to them. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted with 268 migrantwomen who had arrived in Perth, Western Australia, within the previous 5 years. Almosthalf were humanitarian entrants. Most women (76%) reported they did not drink alcohol.Of those who did, 10 were drinking at harmful levels and over half reported changes totheir drinking patterns since arrival. One fifth of participants (20%) describeddistressing incidents related to alcohol or drug use by others. Migrant women areconcerned by alcoholand drug-related problems, even if they do not drink themselves.Domestic violence and abuse by strangers were concerns that were aggravated by alcoholand drug use. As new migrants often lack strategies to prevent, or deal withalcohol-related misuse, provision of additional information and support isrecommended