Although this is usually the most festive and "alcoholic" time of the year, Britons are consuming less alcohol than in previous decades, according to the latest data.
Statistics published by research company IWSR show that the average adult in the UK consumed around 10.2 alcoholic drinks per week last year.
This is the lowest level since data collection began in 1990 and represents a significant decline compared to the peak of about 14 drinks per week, reached about two decades ago.
Experts say financial pressures, health concerns and an aging population are the main factors driving this trend. Most people are not giving up alcohol completely, but are simply limiting their consumption.
“The population is aging and older consumers, physiologically, do not drink as much,” Marten Lodewijks, president of IWSR, told the Financial Times.
“There’s also more health awareness… and the cost of living has gone up, so people just can’t afford to drink out as often.”
According to experts, consumers are increasingly choosing higher-quality and more expensive drinks – such as sophisticated cocktails – while reducing the total amount of alcohol they consume.
This trend, known as “premiumization,” allows the alcohol industry to maintain profits, even as total sales are declining.
However, the latest data shows that, although Britons are drinking less than before, they are still exceeding the NHS recommended limit of 14 units of alcohol a week.
For example, ten pints of low-alcohol beer translate to around 20 units, while ten large glasses of wine amount to up to 30 units.
Other data, also published by IWSR, shows that the Millennial generation (born between 1981–1996) continues to be the age group most engaged in alcohol consumption.
However, in the fall of this year, 81 percent of Millennials reported drinking alcohol in the past six months—down from 83 percent in the spring. That's the lowest level ever recorded for this age group in the study.
IWSR also notes that interest in initiatives like “Sober October” and “Dry January” is starting to wane.
“Temporary abstinence seems to be no longer as central to moderation strategies as it used to be,” Lodewijks said.
“This is especially true for Generation Z, who used to be the most enthusiastic in adopting these initiatives.
Moderation remains an important trend across the alcoholic beverage industry, but symbolic periods of abstinence are no longer the main driving force.
Instead, consumers are moderating themselves by drinking less often and, when they do drink, they are drinking less.”
Meanwhile, researchers have recently found that the compatibility of drinking habits between partners is an important predictor of marital stability.
Couples who have similar drinking patterns – whether they don't drink at all or drink regularly – tend to report happier relationships.
They are significantly more satisfied with their relationship compared to couples where only one partner reports frequent drunkenness.
In other countries around the world, alcohol consumption is also said to have fallen to record levels. /GazetaExpress/
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