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October 2023 - Food

Young adults more likely to be non-drinkers than rest of population: A survey by the charity, Drinkaware, has revealed that young adults are more likely to be non-drinkers compared to the rest of the population  (21% versus 13%). However, they are more likely to enage in binge drinking behaviours than over 25s.

The survey sought to compare the drinking habits of young adults (18-24-year-olds) with the rest of the population to understand more about their behaviours and attitudes towards alcohol. It compared data from a series of Drinkaware Monitors (from 2017 to 2023) collecting 52,199 responses including 5,213 from young adults and 46,986 from adults aged 25+. One of the key objectives of the research was to see if like many media articles suggest, young people really are a generation of non-drinkers. 

The research contributed towards the report: The Sober Myth: Are Young Adults Really a Generation of Non-Drinkers?, which highlighted that while young adult drinkers are most likely to drink alcohol when they go out in the evening or a night out with friends, they are less likely to drink at home when they're alone (43%). It also found that young people are more likely to binge drink than older generations (74% versus 63%). 

The survey revealed that young people are more likely to binge drink at least once a month (32% versus 27%), with young men more than twice as likely to consume more than 14 units of alcohol per week, found the study.

Around two in five young people said they experience guilt or remorse after drinking (42%), while 40% said they had forgotten about things that happened the night before. A quarter said they felt unable to stop when they started (26%) while 19% said they had been injured or had injured someone else. Worryingly, 14% said that they felt like they needed a drink in the morning. 

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