Less than half stuck to plans to cut down on alcohol after lockdown, survey finds

Just under half of those who planned to reduce their alcohol consumption once coronavirus restrictions were lifted in the UK had done so by December, a new survey suggests.

With one in five adults reporting drinking more during the pandemic, a Drinkaware survey of 9,137 people in June found that 17 per cent of those surveyed also intended to cut down on alcohol when lockdown eased.

By December, several months after the vast majority of restrictions were scrapped across the UK, 46 per cent of them had stuck to their plan, the alcohol education charity found.

Close to one in four of those surveyed reduced their consumption briefly before returning to previous drinking patterns, while the same proportion did not cut down at all, according to the charity.

People gave multiple reasons for not reducing their drinking as intended. Nearly half cited alcohol as helping them cope with stress and anxiety, more than a third said drinking helped to relieve boredom, and 18 per cent attributed their continued consumption to relationships with friends and family.

“Even with the best of intentions, it can be incredibly tough to reduce the amount you drink, especially once you’ve got into the habit of having more,” said Annabelle Bonus, director of evidence and impact at Drinkaware.

“The current uncertainty about Omicron is also likely to be contributing to feelings of stress and anxiety which people said were a barrier to them cutting back.”

Ian Hamilton, a senior lecturer in addiction and mental health at the University of York, suggested the results of the survey “reflect the way most of us approach making any change in lifestyle”, adding: “It is much easier to say you'll make a change than actually follow that through.”

While welcoming that respondents recognised a need to cut down on their drinking, Prof Hamilton told The Independent that their answers “reveal just how difficult this has been to achieve during the pandemic as many people feel more anxious and uncertain, some of whom have used alcohol to cope”.

According to Drinkaware, 20 per cent of adults surveyed in April reported drinking more than prior to the pandemic – compared with 22 per cent who reported drinking less, with increasingly polarised results compared with five months prior.

Meanwhile, the charity’s research suggested that two thirds of drinkers consuming alcohol at high-risk levels – more than 34 units per week for women and more than 50 for men – were drinking more than they would have prior to the pandemic.

“That two thirds of high risk drinkers were drinking even more during the pandemic is a sobering statistic, and will certainly translate to an uptick in serious alcohol-related health conditions post-pandemic,” Professor Simon C Moore, director of Cardiff University’s Alcohol and Violence Research Group, told The Independent.

In 2020, deaths in the UK caused directly by alcohol hit a record high of 8,974, rising 18 per cent upon the previous year, in the biggest year-on-year increase since records began.

While the Office for National Statistics, which compiled the figures, described the rise as “statistically significant”, it said there were “many factors” behind the increase and “it may be some time before we fully understand all of these”.

Prof Hamilton added: “Unfortunately the only intervention from the government on alcohol during the pandemic has been to ensure uninterrupted access to drinks, for example deeming off licences as essential services and placing them in the same category as pharmacies.

“It is not just Covid that is cutting lives short, we also have record numbers dying as a result of elevated consumption of alcohol.”

Drinkaware’s previous research has suggested that those who were made redundant (49 per cent) or who were furloughed (40 per cent) were at higher risk than the general population (20 per cent) of increasing their alcohol consumption during the pandemic.

The charity found that half of those who failed to cut back by December are still aiming to drink less in January, and 22 per cent of those are aiming to take part in Dry January.

“Many kept drinking to manage the stresses and anxieties associated with Covid-19, highlighting the broader impacts of Covid-19 on employment, health, and mental health,” Prof Moore said. “But it is wrong to regard alcohol as a cure all panacea for anxiety, it offers only a transient embrocation.

“Those who drink heavily long-term are more, not less, likely to suffer from chronic anxiety and depression. Drinkers who are genuinely interested in saving the NHS should embrace Dry January.”

Regularly drinking above the UK chief medical officers’ guidelines of 14 units a week can increase your risk of a range of health conditions, including seven types of cancer, Ms Bonus said, adding: “So don’t be put off if you’ve failed to stick to your plans.

“It’s never too late to make a change and think about cutting back, whether that’s factoring in more drink-free days, swapping to low-alcohol or alcohol-free options, or stopping completely.

“It’s easy to lose track of how quickly alcohol units add up and keeping a tally is a helpful way to lower the risk of alcohol affecting your health. Downloading the Drinkaware app is a first step for many in making a change to a healthier life.”

Additional reporting by PA