A landmark study of the nation's alcohol habits has found that over 40s are the last generation of heavy drinkers in Britain, with younger people less likely to consume over the recommended amount.
The NHS-backed study of 1.7 million people broke down drinking habits and revealed huge differences in how each generation consumes alcohol. It found that 78.7% of all respondents reported sticking to the government's guidelines on alcohol, drinking 14 or fewer units a week - equivalent to about six pints of 4% lager, or six medium glasses of wine.
Drinking risk increases with age
Men and women in their 40s were over 50% more likely than adults under 40 to exceed the recommended limit, drinking more frequently and in larger quantities. Drinking habits continue to grow stronger up until old age, with 60-69-year-olds most likely to drink over 14 units a week.
Figures showed 28% of people in their 60s placed in the 'increasing risk' category, compared to only 12.6% in the 18-29 category, and 19% of people in their 40s. This age group also recorded the most in the highest risk category (3.1%), which is above 35 units a week for women, and more than 50 for men.
Income and regional variations
Above the age of 69, the percentage of people drinking over the recommended guidelines starts to fall, but remains higher than for people under the age of 40. Young people are also the most likely of any age group to say they only drink alcohol at special occasions, or not at all.
The findings also showed that 77.9% of people from households that earn under £18,000 a year report drinking over 14 units a week, contrasting with 25.7% of people from households earning over £100,000. Broken down by region, the North West topped the table for higher risk and increasing risk drinkers, followed by Yorkshire and the Humber. The East of England had the lowest number in either risk category.
Research implications
Researchers said the findings offered an unprecedented understanding of how different groups interact with alcohol. Ros Blackwood, a senior visiting researcher in the alcohol team at King's College London, said: "The data we're sharing gives us insights into alcohol by age, sex and income at a scale that hasn't yet been possible in health research."
"For alcohol researchers like me, it's the tip of the iceberg. Our participants share an extraordinary level of detail about their health, including their genetic information, health records, and clinic measurements."
"Taken together, it can be used by researchers to further our knowledge on alcohol consumption and delve deeper into risks, protective factors, longer-term health impacts of alcohol and inequalities."
