Half of middle-aged drinkers have never tried to cut back

FEWER than half of middle-aged drinkers have tried to cut down on alcohol to boost their health, research shows.

The vast majority of 40 to 64year-olds admit they should drink less, but only 49 per cent have attempted to do so.

A YouGov survey questioned 3,000 middle-aged drinkers on what strategies they would consider using to cut their intake.

It found 30 per cent said they would be willing to try smaller drinks, while 29 per cent said they would drink a lower strength alcoholic beverage.

Twenty-seven per cent said they would be willing to record how much they were drinking and around 19 per cent said they would be open to drinking non-alcoholic substitutes.

Meanwhile, 86 per cent said they would take drink-free days and 20 per cent said they would be willing to avoid always having alcohol at home.

One in three middle-aged drinkers consume between six and eight units in one sitting on at least a monthly basis, according to the charity Drinkaware, which commissioned the survey.

The Government advises against consuming more than 14 units in one week – equivalent to five pints of beer at 5 per cent alcohol.

Drinkaware is launching its Drink Free Days campaign this week, which aims to encourage middle-aged people to take at least three days off drinking each week. Elaine Hindal, the group’s chief executive, said: ‘If you drink regularly, one of the most simple and effective ways to improve your health and wellbeing is to have several drinkfree days each week.

‘My advice to incorporate more drink-free days into your week is to plan ahead. Think about the situations that usually involve alcohol and plan what you will do instead of drinking.

‘Whatever you try, the key is for drink-free days to become part of your routine.’

Experts have warned that the ‘baby boomer’ generation is in denial over alcohol, with dementia, cancer and liver disease on the rise as a result.

In 2017/18 there were 35,499 alcohol-related hospital admissions stays in general acute hospitals in Scotland.

The highest admission rate was for men in the 55-64 year age group, with around 1,631 per 100,000 of the population.

For women, the highest rate was among the 45-54 year old age group, with 629 per 100,000 of the population.

However, while younger people have begun turning away from alcohol, the number of Britons aged over 65 who are being treated for alcohol abuse has soared by nearly five-fold in little more than a decade.

‘Baby boomers in denial over alcohol’