Alcohol is the second most widely consumed psychoactive substance in the UK (after caffeine) and is highly prevalent in personal and social situations. Nearly 30 million adult Brits say they drink alcohol, an indication of alcohol's ubiquity and presence in so many areas of British society today.
Brits' drinking habits have evolved over time in various ways, and have in turn affected the health of different social groups.
For example, since the year 2000, the gap between men and women’s alcohol consumption has closed markedly, the proportion of underage drinkers (defined here as those who purchase alcohol for consumption before they reach the minimum legal purchase age of 18) has receded, young drinkers' intake (adults between 16 and 24 years of age) has become less frequent (but no less heavy), and survey data appear to show alcohol-related health issues mounting among a generation of older-aged Brits (those between 45 and 64 years of age), who appear to be relatively heavier drinkers than previous generations.
The resources on this webpage provide information about alcohol’s impact on different demographic groups.
Resources available on this page:
- Frequently Asked Questions about 'Alcohol across society', with infographics presenting the most up-to-date statistics on the subject
- Factsheets providing an in depth perspective on the subject of 'Alcohol across society'
- Publications, Blogs, and News tagged 'Alcohol across society' for further reading
Frequently Asked Questions
Publications (View all)

Exploring men’s alcohol consumption in the context of becoming a father: A scoping review
February 2021

IAS response to Early years healthy development review: call for evidence
October 2020
Blogs (View all)
Alcohol problems and insurance
18th November 2020 | Jonathan Goodliffe
Insurance is not usually associated with alcohol problems, but there are good reasons for focusing on the two subjects in conjunction, as they give rise to multiple problems, argues Jonathan Goodliffe Read more »
Alcohol control policies, socioeconomic inequalities, and adolescent alcohol use
11th August 2020 | Eva Leal-López
Eva Leal-López argues a combination of alcohol control policies are key to reducing inequalities among adolescents Read more »
No strangers to the bar: the drinking habits of MPs
16th March 2020 | Tony Rao
Dr Tony Rao describes a recent study examining alcohol use by Members of the UK Parliament Read more »
News (View all)
Call for more research to help new dads reduce alcohol consumption
Media release from Glasgow Caledonian University and IAS:
International review finds huge gaps in research on men’s alcohol consumption in the transition to fatherhood – researchers found only five studies world-wide that examined the relationship between fatherhood and alcohol Read more »
Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP) and Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) launch new report on Men and Alcohol
Joint launch of a new report presenting key findings and recommendations for policy and practice from the 2019/2020 Men and Alcohol seminar series Read more »
One in three children report negative outcomes from parents’ drinking
Research also suggests drinking to escape problems can adversely affect children Read more »