More than a quarter of Glen Innes residents have a more than two standard alcoholic drinks in a day, or ten in a week. Any more than that is classed as "risky drinking".

According to statistics collected by Victoria University's Mitchell Institute 27.2 per cent of Glen Innes residents are "risky" drinkers - the fourth highest in the state.

The region's residents drink less on average than Belligen and the Snowy River, with Byron shire the state's worst drinkers. The state's top eight biggest drinking regions are in rural NSW.

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Great Central Hotel owner Tony Hills was also surprised, saying many punters must be buying from supermarket bottleshops.

The iconic Glen Innes pub has diversified into non-alcoholic options including restaurant-quality meals. They are no longer reliant on the traditional bar-fly.

"Our property would be at least 70 per cent food and 30 per cent everything else - accommodation and bar," he said.

"Historically that would have been the opposite - 80 per cent bar and 15 per cent food.

"I think a lot of hotels these days have to embrace that change. And food is that change they have to embrace."

He said drinkers' tastes have also changed a lot, with many or even most looking for a more expensive craft beer option.

"I think their tastes are a lot more sophisticated than they used to be," he said.

The data was a surprise to Glen Innes Severn Council mayor Carol Sparks, who said the Community Drug Action Team had worked with pubs and clubs this year to reduce unsafe drinking.

"I'm very concerned. I think the drought and bushfires have raised the anxiety in our area, and people do resort to having a drink if they're feeling stressed," she said.

"We have had trouble in the past with domestic violence and I think a lot of that may have been fuelled by alcohol.

"Our crime levels have been good lately because the policing has been very good. I guess we'll have to take note of this and work on it."

Australia is becoming a much more sober society. Nationally, the average risky drinking rate is trending downwards, with as few as 6.6% of the population in Fairfield in western Sydney drinking over the recommended maximum on average.

But other parts of the country continue to drink relatively heavily.

The Victoria University study shows that lower socio-economic metropolitan communities and those with high migrant populations are actually less likely to drink at "risky" levels, according to Mitchell Institute Professor Rosemary Colder.

"This suggests that a culture of drinking plays the biggest factor in risky drinking rates, and alcohol prices are also influencing drinking patterns," she said.

She said government programs that promoted safe drinking, and healthcare supports should be targeted into the communities that needed it most.

"We need to focus on getting effective information and supports for reducing alcohol consumption into regional communities."

People who drink to excess are at much higher risk of alcohol-related illness including heart disease, stroke, liver disease, some cancers, depression, anxiety and dementia.

Approximately 5,500 deaths and 157,000 hospital admissions are attributed to alcohol consumption in Australia each year, and alcohol-related harm costs the economy more than $14 billion per annum.