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That’s the opinion of KAM managing director Katy Moses who highlighted insights from the company’s research that showed 53% of Brits now drink low & no drinks at least monthly while 97% also drink alcohol – effectively arguing the UK is a nation increasingly managing its drinking rather than being teetotallers.
Moses made the statement at the Club Soda No, Low & Mid-strength Drinks Summit in London on 6-7 October at Coin Street Neighbourhood Centre.
She added more people are in the low weekly consumption bracket (those drinking fewer than six alcoholic units per week) have jumped from 37% in 2021 to 58% in 2026, she added.
And Moses was keen to point out consumers now choose drinks based on health, sleep, next-day productivity, aided by real‑time health tracking and GLP-1 drugs, which are cutting alcohol intake, and pushing people towards low & no options.
Started with Gen Z
“You can see where the story is changing,” Moses said. “That’s where the narrative is going. It’s not a story about pure abstinence. It’s a story about moderation but we have seen some changes in the past 18 months that have really been quite interesting for us as researchers to look at.
“For the past five years, we’ve seen people actively reducing the amount of alcohol they consume, which started with Gen Z and it has moved through the age groups.
“The older age group is the most resistant to this idea of moderation and drinking less. However, in our latest research, we are not using the word ‘reducing’ as much as we’re using the word ‘managing’. Interestingly, the initial growth in low & no did not come from retailers; it came from moderators. It came from people that wanted to be more in charge of and manage their alcohol consumption in a more positive way.”
Health is no.1 consideration
Moses said there are five key forces driving the increase in flexible drinking. These are:
1) Health‑led decision making
- Consumers are thinking about how they will feel later and the following day before choosing a drink (health, diet, fitness, sleep and next‑day performance).
2) Real‑time health tracking and data
- Around 59% of respondents track health metrics (heart rate, sleep, etc) when they’ve been drinking and 81% of those then change their drinking behaviour as a result – tech is nudging moderation.
3) Rise of functional drinks
- People increasingly want drinks that ‘do something’ for them (mood, gut, energy) so they are more likely to choose low & no options with functional benefits over those without.
4) Impact of GLP‑1 drugs (weight‑loss injections)
- Rapid growth in GLP‑1 use is cutting alcohol consumption (about 29% on average) and pushing users towards low & no and lower‑ABV choices.
5) Evolving socialising habits and exploding choice
- Alcohol is no longer ‘the night out’, just part of it. This includes more earlier‑evening occasions; more experience‑led activities rather than just ‘going out to drink’; less stigma around not drinking; and a much wider range of good‑quality low & no products, which people try out of curiosity.
