Binge drinking among Britons is on the decline, with the number of people drinking alcohol irresponsibly continuing to fall, according to the latest figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The General Household Survey found that the number of men drinking more than 21 units of alcohol a week fell from 29% in 2000 to 23% in 2006.
Women also followed the same downward trend, with the number of females consuming more than 14 units per week decreasing from 17% in 2000 to 12% in 2006.
The study revealed that binge drinking among 16-24 year old males has continued to decline over the last year and levels have stabilised among women.
Britons have also become more aware of the significance of alcohol units, with knowledge of the matter among the population up from 79% to 85% over the last 10 years.
David Poley, chief executive of the Portman Group, said: “It is pleasing that the long-term trends in the nation’s harmful drinking levels continue to improve. More people are now aware of the risks associated with harmful drinking and have changed their drinking accordingly.
“There is still a long way to go to eradicate the problems caused by alcohol misuse which remain deeply embedded in our culture. But the evidence suggests that the sensible drinking message is getting through to people.”
Mark Hastings, director of communications at the British Beer & Pub Association, said: “These figures once again confirm the trend of the past two years, that there have been significant falls in alcohols consumption.
“We’re also seeing hard evidence of improved drinking behaviour, with those drinking above recommended weekly guidelines down by a substantial amount in the past six years.
“It is clear that the nation’s drinking habits are changing, and the effect has been the opposite to what was predicted when the Licensing Act came into force over two years ago. There has been no ‘free for all’, and instead, the message about sensible drinking is hitting home.”
