New National Alcohol Limits are out of Step with Reality, ONS Reveals
Posted on Sat 21st Jun 2014 at 13:49
The Office of National Statistics has released figures showing that nearly 9% of British people drank more than the new recommended alcohol limit of 14 units per week in a single day.
While this is not to be lauded, it does demonstrate the futility of introducing 'zero tolerance' guidelines - people don't respond well to being told they can't do something, particularly when it's a harmless part of their livestyle! We've already blogged about the scientific evidence that proves these guidelines are wrong and that alcohol consumption can be good for you. Getting back to the ONS data, meanwhile: responses were given about respondents' drinking activity during the week before the survey was taken, and the results equates to around 2.5 million people drinking more than the new weekly recommended guidance in one day. The 2014 survey also demonstrated that Wales had the highest percentage of people who had drunk more than the new weekly guideline in a single day (14%), followed by Scotland (13%). Northern Ireland was not included in the survey. It also revealed that more than half of male drinkers had drunk more than 4.67 units on their heaviest day of drinking, accompanied by over a third of women. This figure is a third of the new weekly guideline, meaning that some extra 45% of drinkers could well be exceeding the new limit on a weekly basis. In terms of general alcohol consumption, those in the South East and South West (62% respectively) were most likely to have drunk any alcohol during the previous week. The lowest percentage was to be found in London, where only 51% had drunk alcohol during the previous week. Overall the findings demonstrate that there is a generally healthy culture of drinking in the UK, with a small percentage of 'binge' drinkers who are unlikely to respond to stricter guidelines on how much they can drink. It's likely that the new guidelines will in fact erase some of the good work done by the alcohol industry over the past few years to promote drinking in moderation.