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Hazardous drinking most common among working-age employees, expert warns

Searches for “pub hours” rose by 15% to 13,000 last month, as warmer weather and sporting events encouraged higher alcohol consumption. 

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Dr Karen Faulkner, associate medical director at Panthera Clinic, warned that summer socialising could be fuelling risky drinking habits among employees. 

Recent data found searches for “pub hours” rose by 15% to 13,000 last month, as warmer weather and sporting events encouraged higher alcohol consumption. 

Figures showed adults in the UK consume an average of 10.7 litres of pure alcohol per person each year, or around 21 units a week. 

The recommended maximum is 14 units, spread across at least three days and including alcohol-free days. 

The research also found 18% of adults drink at hazardous levels or above, with men more than twice as likely as women (24.8% compared with 11.7%). 

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YouGov data found 78% of adults believe alcohol is addictive, while 18% consider it not very addictive or not addictive at all. 

Awareness was highest among women at 84%, compared with 72% of men. 

More than eight in 10 people aged 50 to 64 (83%) saw alcohol as addictive, compared with 73% of those aged 18 to 24.

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Regional differences were also clear. 

Wales had the highest awareness at 86%, followed by Scotland at 83%. 

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London had the lowest at 69%, and the highest proportion who consider alcohol not addictive (24%).

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Faulkner said: “Alcohol occupies a unique place in British culture because it is both legal and socially encouraged, which can make it difficult for people to recognise when their relationship with drinking is beginning to change.

“What’s particularly interesting is that most people understand alcohol can be addictive, yet many still underestimate how easily regular drinking can become habitual. 

“Dependence often develops gradually and doesn’t always fit the stereotypes people associate with addiction.”

Faulkner added: “During the summer months, drinking can become even more normalised through holidays, beer gardens, barbecues, festivals and sporting events. 

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“Whether people are meeting friends to watch sports games, gathering in pub gardens to enjoy the warm weather or attending outdoor screenings, alcohol often becomes woven into everyday social activities, making it harder for people to spot when occasional drinking has become a routine.

“We regularly speak to people who are surprised by how difficult they find it to cut back, despite wanting to.”

She said: “For many, periods of increased social drinking can act as a wake-up call, helping them recognise that their habits have changed and may be becoming harder to control. 

“The challenge isn’t necessarily a lack of awareness about alcohol’s risks. 

“It’s recognising when a socially accepted habit has crossed the line into something that’s beginning to have a negative impact on your health, wellbeing or daily life.”

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Faulkner recommended planning alcohol-free days each week, alternating alcoholic drinks with water or soft drinks, setting a limit before social events, avoiding drinking out of habit, exploring alcohol-free alternatives, keeping track of intake, watching for changes in your relationship with alcohol, being mindful of social pressure and focusing on the occasion rather than the alcohol.

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