Intoxicated Canberrans drinking in Civic and Braddon left taxpayers footing a bill of almost $11.7 million in police and court costs in 2014-15, according to research to be released on Wednesday.
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The Deakin University-led study also found that 30 per cent of people drinking in the entertainment precincts recorded being subject to verbal aggression - higher than those in most other cities surveyed.
Canberrans noted the highest rate of incidents of physical aggression, with 17 per cent of people recording an involvement, and 28 per cent of respondents said they had received unwanted sexual attention in the past three months.
Seventeen per cent of Canberrans polled said they drove while drunk.
Study co-author Peter Miller said it was clear Canberra had a drinking problem and pointed out the $11.7 million damages bill did not include the costs to the health system.
"Unfortunately at the moment it seems the harm is not being adequately managed," he said.
The report has prompted calls for a minimum price per standard drink and triggered a renewed push from the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education for the ACT to reduce trading hours for pubs, clubs and bars.
The study found almost half of all Canberra's short-term reactive policing costs and 43 per cent of alcohol-related offences occurred between 2am and 6am. Emergency department presentations during 'high alcohol hours' also increased between 2010 and 2014.
The government earlier this year ruled out introducing lockout laws after its proposal to enforce a 3am closing time or charge venues extra to sell alcohol from that point faced community and industry opposition.
It instead vowed to continue to work with vendors, patrons and police, and reduce red tape to enable more 'interesting events'. Before the election, Labor promised six extra police patrols during busy nighttime periods.
"The government will consider the DASHED Report and the proposals made in the report to identify which, if any proposals have potential to contribute to the safety and vibrancy of the ACT's nightlife," Attorney-General Gordon Ramsay said.
Australian Hotels Association ACT Branch general manager Jo Broad said a number of strategies were in place to mitigate the risks posed by alcohol, and said alcohol-related harm had decreased every year since 2011.
"As agreed by the ACT Government, no changes need to be made to on premise operating hours," she said.
But FARE chief executive Michael Thorn said the figures gave the organisation's campaign for venues to call last drinks at 2am new wind.
"This has reactivated our campaign to see the introduction of last drinks among other things and we'll be continuing working with health and law enforcement organisations," he said.
Figures from the Drug and Alcohol Intoxication and Subsequent Harm in night-time Entertainment Districts project came from short interviews with people entering or leaving licensed venues, structured observation in licensed venues and data from various government agencies.
