Number of adults abstaining from alcohol increases in the South East
Alcohol treatment group UKAT believe a health conscious generation are the reason
Adults across the South East are deciding not the drink alcohol.
Public Health England have just released data revealing that across the South East, 12.4% of all adults aged 18+ now abstain from drinking alcohol completely. Which is up from 12.3% back in 2014.
Buckinghamshire is above the national average, at 14.4% which is one of the highest in the region. Meanwhile Bedfordshire also has 13% of adults not drinking alcohol.
Central Bedfordshire is one of the lowest areas when it comes to abstaining though, with 11% of those surveyed saying they have decided to leave the drink behind.
The figures are from the latest Health Survey for England and show the proportion of the adult population across the country and per local authority who are at no risk of alcohol-related harm - something that costs the NHS around £3.5 billion per year and society as a whole £21 billion annually.
Eytan Alexander, CEO for South-East based alcohol treatment providers UKAT comments;
“What we’re seeing is an overall appetite for living a life free from alcohol across the South East- out of the 19 local authority communities, 12 are improving their abstinence from alcohol and that can only be applauded. Although a completely legal and almost encouraged substance, alcohol is extremely dangerous, addictive and ruins lives. We see the damage it causes first hand every single day.
"We expect that this shift in attitude originates from today’s younger generation who are passionate about their appearance, their physical and also- and most importantly- their mental health.
“There’s a definite undercurrent of recognition and understanding that misusing drugs and alcohol leads to unhealthy lifestyles and hopefully as more celebrities and influencers encourage prioritising positive physical and mental health, we will see more and more adults abstaining from drinking alcohol in the future.
"The adults who make this decision should live healthier and longer lives because of it.”