Middle Class Brits Drinking Too Much, Way Too Much
Middle class drinkers in Brittain may unwittingly be drinking too much.
There has been a recent trend in stronger drinks and larger servings. Adding this to the tendancy of many to drink five or more times a week this is adding up to a greater risk of alcohol related health problems.
One contribution to this has been attributed to more people choosing to drink at home. Wine has become a more poular choice for this, leading to people buying stronger drinks than they used to and increasing the frequency at which they drink.
Another factor may be the larger sizes of wine glasses now. This increases the serving size a great deal without the drinker noticing this. This increase in drinking is believed to also be a result of the large wine bottle sizes and the lack of boxed wines on the market.
People tend to feel the need to finish of a bottle so that it does not go to waste. Many middle age drinkers do not think that they are at risk since they don’t binge drink, however many of them are consuming far more alcohol than most once a week binge drinkers do.
Jonny Forsyth, senior drink analyst for Mintel, the leading market research analysts who produced the report, said: “The over-45s are drinking more regularly but not thinking they’re in danger.
“They are drinking four, five, six days a week and it all adds up even though young people binge-drink more.
“There is a significant movement towards 18-34s (both men and women) drinking less often. In contrast, men aged 65+ and in particular women aged 45-64 are drinking more regularly now than five years ago, even though this is generally an age when people start to change their habits for health reasons,” according to the report.
The report concludes that with alcohol consumption being linked to more than 40 different diseases or conditions surely the drinks industry has a responsibility to provide clear information and a greater choice of lower strength beers, wines and ciders which people can enjoy without harming their health.
