Are you drinking too much?
Almost one third of Brits are worried that they, or people close to them, drink too much or are over-reliant on alcohol, according to new research.
Despite the recent media spotlight on female drinking culture, the research, commissioned by Action on Addiction and carried out by Vision Critical, revealed that the amount of alcohol consumed by men is still a bigger concern for Britain’s public.
One in 10 women are worried that their partner or spouse drinks too much – just one in 20 men worry about their other half – and men are twice as likely to worry about their own drinking habits than women: 12% of men worry that they drink too much or are overly reliant on alcohol, compared with just 5% of women.
Nick Barton, Chief Executive of Action on Addiction commented: “It is concerning to see that almost a third of people are worried about their own alcohol intake or that of someone close to them. Over the past decades excessive alcohol consumption has become increasingly part of the fabric in all sections of British society and social life, but it is important to remember that alcohol is an addictive substance and consumption can all too easily move from habit to dependence for some people, with damaging effects for family members, social relationships and working life."
The findings also suggest that modern working culture, which often combines high stress levels with alcohol-fuelled events, is contributing to an over-reliance on drink as a coping mechanism.
One in 10 Brits aged 18-54 say they regularly drink too much to cope with work-related stress. Young people find the culture of ‘free-flowing’ alcohol particularly hard to resist, as a quarter of 18-34 year olds say that they regularly over-drink at events where alcohol is free and one in ten say they regularly feel social pressure to drink too much.
Action on Addiction is calling for greater awareness of the impact that excessive drinking has on broader social circles, especially family members, and children in particular.
Femalefirst Taryn Davies