Miss World Australia Katie Richardson is asking drinkers to put down their glasses for a month as sobering statistics reveal more than 1600 drinkers were hospitalised across the Illawarra in 12 months.

Ms Richardson is an ambassador for Ocsober and is calling on everyone to give up alcohol during October.

The Albion Park Miss World contestant said she does not drink very much but attends many events each week and alcohol is offered at all of them.

"I can go out and have fun in that environment that's full of alcohol for most of my week and not get involved," she said.

The problem is many of Ms Richardson's counterparts are not so disciplined, with the rate for women aged 18-24 being admitted to hospital for alcohol-related matters increasing 200 per cent since 2000.

Across the state's hospitals, 1233 women were taken to emergency departments in 2007 with alcohol-induced illnesses. The total number of drinkers admitted to NSW hospitals was 40,000.

In the Illawarra, figures showed the region was contributing to the problem with 1220 people being hospitalised for alcohol-related illness in Wollongong in the year to March; 364 in Shellharbour; and 87 in Kiama.

Alcohol was also blamed for a large number of assaults - 1104 in Wollongong, 228 in Shellharbour and 47 in Kiama. Ms Richardson said our drinking culture was at least partly to blame for the increase in young women being admitted to hospital.

"I think it's sad that you feel like you have to drink to be part of the atmosphere and you feel alienated if you don't drink," she said.

"Girls feel like they have to drink to be accepted by men as well as their friends."