Nearly half of UK adults who say they drink alcohol (48%) plan to stop drinking or cut their alcohol intake over the next year, according to research from Aviva.
The research also found that just under one in 10 of the 2,000 polled (9%) said they planned to completely stop drinking alcohol altogether.
Younger generations were found to be most likely to cut down their alcohol intake.
Just under two thirds (61%) of 18–24-year-olds planned to reduce, or completely stop, their drinking over the next year, which increased to more than two thirds (68%) for those aged 25-34.
Impact on health
While over a third of adults who planned to reduce their alcohol consumption in the next year (34%) said that they were doing this to save money, health also proved a key motivator for this move to adopt more responsible drinking habits.
An equal number of these (34%) said that they wanted to be physically healthier and over a quarter (27%) said that they wanted to lose weight.
One in five (20%) were worried about the effect alcohol was having on their body, while 19% said they want to improve their mental wellbeing. This increased to more than a quarter (27%), for those aged 18-24 years.
Confusion over recommended units
In 2016, the UK government updated the alcohol consumption guidance, reducing the recommended maximum number of units of alcohol for men from up to 21 units a week to up to 14 units a week, matching the recommendation for females.
Less than a quarter of those who drink (21%) correctly identified that people should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week, to help keep their health risks at a low level.
This reduced to 19% among male respondents.
Feeling happier and healthier
The research also explored the motivation for adults who had already taken the decision to stop drinking alcohol.
Wellbeing featured highly with more than a quarter (26%) saying they lead a sober lifestyle because they felt healthier, and just under a quarter (24%) said that they felt happier.
Slightly fewer (23%) said that they wanted to be healthy as they grow older.
Just under one in 10 (9%) said they have never drunk or tried alcohol and more than half of those who now do not drink (52%) said it has been more than a year since they last had an alcoholic beverage.
Positive trend set to continue
Dr Doug Wright, medical director at Aviva UK Health, said: “In recent years, many people have started to adopt a more responsible relationship with alcohol – with some choosing to give it up altogether.
“Encouragingly, Aviva’s research suggests that this positive trend is set to continue, with nearly half of the people taking part in the survey saying that they plan to either cut down or stop drinking alcohol over the next year.
“This is reassuring as reducing our alcohol intake can help improve our current and future health.
“The NHS recommends that we drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week on a regular basis. This should be spread over a few days and we should have two or three alcohol-free days, to help keep the risk to our health at a low level.
“There’s a wide range of support available online to help people monitor their alcohol intake and to help them on their journey to a healthier relationship with alcohol.”
