Heavy drinking on the decline

Contrary to the picture of ten presented of inexorable increases in alcohol consumption and harm, heavy drinking is, in fact, on the decline in Britain, according to the latest findings from the General Lifestyle Survey (GLS)*

The GLS is a continous survey carried out by the Office for National Statistics to provide a picture of families and people living in private households in Britain, and covering a range of subject areas including drinking, smoking, education, employment and marriage, cohabitation and fertility.

On the 2010 GLS, respondents were asked two sets of questions about their drinking behaviour, resulting in measures of average weekly consumption and maximum amount drunk on any one day in the previous week.

Trends in Alcohol Consumption: Main findings

Between 2005 and 2010, average weekly alcohol consumption decreased from 14.3 units to 11.5 units per adult. The decline was evident in both men and women.

Since 2005, there has been a decline in percentages of both men and women exceeding the old ‘sensible limits’ of 21 uni ts per week for men and 14 units per week for women.

There have also been declines in the proportions of men and women classed as heavy drinkers, men drinking 50 or more units per week, women drinking 35 or more units per week.

There is a downward trend in the maximum drunk on the heaviest drinking day. The proportions of both men and women who have exceeded twice the government ’s recommended maximum consumpt ion for a single day - the official definiton of ‘binge drinking’ - has declined, the decline being most pronounced in the 16-24 age group.

Adults tend to drink more frequently as they get older. Over 1 in 5 men aged 65 and older drank almost every day, compared with just 3 per cent of men aged 16-24.

As is usually found, men and women in the managerial and professional categories tended to drink more and drink more frequently than those in routine and manual occupations. Normal ly, also, those with higher incomes tended to drnk more and more frequently.

Interestingly, average weekly consumption was higher in adults living in rural areas than those in urban areas, the difference being driven by women.