Half of North West drinkers feel country has alcohol problem

More than half (56%) of UK drinkers feel their country has an unhealthy relationship with alcohol which rises to 66% in Scotland, 63% in Northern Ireland, 56% in England but falls to 38% in Wales.

But only one in ten drinkers (10%) feel they personally have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol.

Concern is most likely to be for a friend's drinking, with 36% of those with a concern indicating it relates to a friend, rising to 44% among men.

More than half of UK drinkers (56%) feel that their country has an unhealthy relationship with alcohol according to the Drinkaware Annual Monitor, published today (Thursday 30 November). The figure rises to 66% in Scotland, 63% in Northern Ireland, 56% in England but falls to 38% in Wales.

Although many drinkers believe their country as a whole has an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, when asked about their own or, family and friends, only one in ten felt it was a problem (10% & 12%). While one in five UK drinkers (20%) said they drank more than the UK Chief Medical Officers guidelines of 14 units per week.

The Drinkaware Monitor 2023 is the annual 'state of the nation' survey conducted for Drinkaware by YouGov, that provides an insight into the drinking habits of the UK. This year's Monitor looked at how we talk about alcohol and have honest conversations.

The Monitor asked 10,473 people from across the UK about their perceptions, and those surveyed highlighted their concerns about how alcohol is seen in society.

Karen Tyrell, Chief Executive of the charity Drinkaware said: "We need to be more open and honest about our own relationship with alcohol and talk more about our drinking habits. Most people think the country has an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, but it is not them, it is someone else.

"There has never been a better time to change, and learn from how we talk about mental health, to make people feel more comfortable talking about their drinking.

"One way to understand how much your drinking is by doing the Drinkaware Drinking Check. This short quiz is a quick and easy way to find out if you're putting your health at risk and can also encourage a conversation."

The report found that three in five (59%) UK adults do not think our society is understanding of people with drinking problems, rising to 65% in Scotland.

When it comes to people who are concerned about someone else's drinking, one in five (20%) haven't done anything, 53% have spoken to them about it, 43% have made a comment about it to them, and 24% have encouraged them to seek help or treatment.

Having a conversation is more effective in helping people take action about their own drinking, rather than making a comment. Only 32% of cases resulted in action when a comment was made, compared to 44% when a conversation was initiated.

The Monitor focus groups revealed that conversations can have an impact on an individual's drinking, but this can take time and often happens after several conversations. Their effectiveness depends on the drinker's openness to the issues with their drinking.

The Monitor is the only UK-wide nationally representative survey that dives into peoples' drinking habits and behaviour. It also found:

:: UK adults appear to be drinking less frequently, with those drinking alcohol less often than weekly rising to 39% compared to 33% in 2019.

:: Those drinking at home alone at least once a week is down from 24% in 2021 to 18% in 2023.

:: Only 29% of adults would feel very comfortable having a conversation with family and 24% with friends about their drinking, compared to 45% with a partner.

:: Women feel most uncomfortable about having this conversation, with a third (33%) not very comfortable or not comfortable at all starting a conversation about a friend's drinking (vs. 25% of men).

:: Wine and beer are the most commonly consumed drinks among UK drinkers, approximately three in ten UK drinkers always or often drink wine (32%) and beer (31%).

:: Pubs in rural areas are more likely to get support from their local community (22% vs 14% in towns and cities).