It’s a long-accepted fact that the UK has a drinking culture, wherein alcohol is the centre of much of our social events.
UK’s Drinking Culture
In the UK, alcohol consumption tends to be treated as a natural part of life, where pubs are everywhere you look, after-work drinks are the method of bonding with colleagues, and you are the minority if you stay sober at social events.
If we consider University culture, this is all the more apparent, wherein these young adults in education are pushed to drink, drink, drink, with every social event boasting cheap drinks deals, encouraging students to drink beyond their normal limits to save money.
Drinkaware Monitor 2023
Every year, Drinkaware commissions a survey to track the UK’s drinking habits.
In their 2023 monitor, they found that 9 in 10 drinkers believe they “drink responsibly”. Yet, 26% are concerned about someone else’s drinking and 11% of drinkers have reported that family, friends, or a health professional have expressed concern about their drinking. This points towards a wider issue of problem drinkers being in denial, or not understanding or recognising they have a problem.
In fact, over half of UK drinkers reported that they felt their nation has an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. So, if 9/10 of us believe we drink responsibly, yet the majority of us believe the nation does NOT drink responsibly, it seems that some of us must be in denial about our drinking habits.
18% of drinkers drink at home at least once a week, suggesting that drinking is not just done socially, but perhaps as a habit or even as an emotional crutch. However, this figure is down from 24% of those drinking alone at least once a week in 2021.
This is not the only indication that we may be moving in a positive direction in terms of alcohol consumption, as younger generations now seem to be drinking less than older generations. 18-34 year olds are more likely to drink the least often or not drink at all out of any age group. This said, they are most likely to binge drink on the occasions when they do consume alcohol.
Alcohol’s Risks
Drinking too much alcohol can lead to higher risk of certain health issues over time, such as strokes, heart disease, liver disease, and certain cancers.
There is also a link between alcohol misuse and worsened mental health, with those who misuse alcohol at higher risk of suicide.
Not only can drinking too much worsen your physical and mental health, it can also lead to deteriorating personal relationships, and financial problems like debt.
These risks associated with drinking too much alcohol mean it is very important for us to monitor our drinking and to try to speak out and help when we think someone has a drinking problem.