UK is drinking less, national survey reveals

Drinking rates in the UK are continuing to plummet and more people are opting to stay at home rather than go to the pub.

The trends are revealed in a survey of more than 14,500 people by the Office for National Statistics - and fly in the face of national newspaper headlines suggesting alcohol consumption is on the rise.

Smoking and Drinking Among Adults 2008, published today, shows that in 2008 adults consumed an average of 12.2 units of alcohol a week. This is down from an average of 13.5 units in 2006.

It goes on to show that when people drink heavily it tends to be at home rather than in the pub.

A total of 46 per cent of men and 57 per cent of women said their heaviest drinking day was at home compared to 33 per cent and 20 per cent respectively stating a pub or bar.

The research also indicates that it is professionals who are drinking more these days, with one in five drinking on five or more days a week, whereas only 11 per cent of manual workers drink at these levels.

Mark Hastings, director of communications at the British Beer & Pub Association, said this provided evidence against calls for minimum pricing.

"This study is yet further confirmation that the amount we drink as a nation is falling and has been since 2004.

"It also raises some further serious questions about minimum pricing both in terms of its effectiveness in tackling alcohol misuse and where the health lobby would actually seek to push it."

But Paul Smith, executive director of late night operator trade group Noctis, said the figures provided evidence that cheap off-trade alcohol needs to be addressed.

"This survey is very welcome as it provides those of us in the trade tasked with lobbying far more equitable conditions to take these findings to the government as suggest policy options which help, not further demonise the UK on-trade," he said.

John Anderson, licensees at the Deansgate, in Manchester, said he was not surprised by figures.

"I suspect the home is where the largest amount of binge-drinking is done. But the government are so reluctant to do something about the supermarkets because they are all powerful."

Meanwhile overall smoking rates have dropped to just 21 per cent among adults - the lowest ever recorded level.

And the majority - 75 per cent - of the 14,630 people quizzed said the smoking ban had not affected how often they visited the pub.