Britons drink 108 bottles of wine a year

A study of 36 nations shows that the UK’S alcohol consumption is among the highest in developed countries. The figures show that the average Briton drinks 108 bottles of wine a year – much more than in the rest of the Western world, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Separate figures show the number of pensioners starting treatment for alcohol problems has doubled in the past decade.

THE average Briton is now drinking 108 bottles of wine a year – far more than in the rest of the Western world, a major report shows.

The study of 36 nations shows that the UK’S alcohol consumption is now among the highest in developed countries. Separate figures show the number of pensioners starting treatment for alcohol problems has doubled in the past decade,

Health campaigners said baby boomers who grew up in a “hedonistic culture” in the Sixties and Seventies were consuming far more than younger drinkers, and turning “a blind eye” to the potential health risks.

The research by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows that adults in Britain are now consuming an average of 9.7 litres of pure alcohol a year.

This is the equivalent of 108 bottles of wine annually – or 427 pints of 4 per cent strength beer. The figure is almost a litre higher than the OECD average, at 8.9 litres.

“Many British people lead unhealthy lifestyles”, the international research states, warning that levels of alcohol consumption and rates of obesity are both far above the OECD average.

Separate figures show the number of over-65s beginning NHS treatment for alcohol problems has doubled in the past decade, with 4,328 cases in 2018/19, up from 2,134 cases in 2008/9.

Meanwhile a fall in drinking among younger generations has seen the number of 18 to 24-year-olds starting treatment fall by 76 per cent, the Public Health England figures show.

Dr Tony Rao, from the addictions faculty of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said the trends among older drinkers were “alarming”.

He said: “What we are seeing here is particularly about baby boomers who are turning a blind eye to the repercussions of drinking. These are people who grew up in an increasingly hedonistic culture, when wine was becoming far more affordable, and it became the norm to drink it regularly, and share a bottle over dinner.

“The impact of this long-term is seen in liver disease, in alcohol-related brain damage, dementia, cancer, blood pressure, strokes, in a whole range of health problems,” he said.