UK: Binge drinking on decline in UK – research
23 January 2008 Source: just-drinks.com editorial team
The number of people in the UK that are drinking alcohol irresponsibly has fallen, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.
The General Household survey said yesterday (22 January) that, between 2000 and 2006, the number of men that drank over 21 units a week has reduced by 6% and the number of women who consumed over 14 units per week has decreased by 5%.
Binge drinking among 16-24 year-old men has also continued to decline in the last year, with levels among young women in the UK stabilising, the statistics revealed.
The survey also demonstrated that awareness of alcohol units has risen from 79% of the population to 85% in the last ten years.
Commenting on the survey, the_Portman_Group‘s chief executive, David Poley, said: “It is pleasing that the long-term trends in the nation’s harmful drinking levels continue to improve. More people are now aware of the risks associated with harmful drinking and have changed their drinking accordingly. There is still a long way to go to eradicate the problems caused by alcohol misuse which remain deeply embedded in our culture. But the evidence suggests that the sensible drinking message is getting through to people.”
Hang on… I thought more liberal licensing laws were going to result in the end of civilisation, like theyhave in every other country around the world that has a relaxed attitude to drinking? I’m confused…
Yes when I’m in charge I would have a law that made Newspapers, tv channels have a front page column/primetime show. Called “Ooops! things we were wrong about”.
The daily Mails would flip back and forwards on the MaCann case etc. Did you see the startling news that men drink more then women! Hold the front page….
It’s funny that the cynical doublethink that infests all public pronouncements on anything from Celebrity Big Brother to the latest Home Office announcement on crime statistics somehow prevents David Poley from going the extra logic yard that would permit him to observe that eradication of binge drinking culture could be drawn a step nearer if his own bloody members stopped loss-leading their rubbish products to supermarkets. Self-regulation, my arse!