Up to 8 million Brits could be consuming high-risk amounts of booze without knowing, the charity Drinkaware warned. Known as increasing-risk drinking, this level of consumption sits between the healthy limit of 14 units a week and problematic drinking that harms health and relationships. Though it would not be classed as alcoholism, increasing-risk drinking can still make disease and poor mental health more likely in the long term, said Drinkaware. What is more, people may think they are having normal amounts of booze, whether out of habit or because they are socially encouraged to do so.
Drinkaware's 2026 drinking monitor showed that nearly one in 18 per cent, or nearly one in five UK drinkers, reported having risky amounts of booze in the week leading up to the survey. For women, this meant having between 15 and 35 units of alcohol in the space of a week. This amounts to six to 16 medium glasses of wine. For men, risky drinking meant guzzling 15 to 50 booze units in a week, which translates to up to 24 medium glasses of wine. Anything above 35 or 50 units is considered the highest risk.
What Are the Official Low-Risk Drinking Guidelines in the UK?
There is no safe limit for drinking booze, as it can affect health in many ways, from triggering liver disease to weakening your heart, increasing weight and risk of cancer. But the Chief Medical Officer defines low-risk drinking as anything below 14 units a week. That is equivalent to a bottle and a half or six medium glasses of wine, or six pints of average strength beer or cider.
In the UK, binge drinking is defined as consuming eight or more units of alcohol in a single session for men, and six or more units in a single session for women. The Chief Medical Officers guidelines for both men and women state that to keep health risks from alcohol to a low level it is safest not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis. If you regularly drink as much as 14 units per week, it is best to spread your drinking evenly over three or more days. If you have one or two heavy drinking episodes a week, you increase your risks of death from long term illness and from accidents and injuries.
The risk of developing a range of health problems, including cancers of the mouth, throat and breast, increases the more you drink on a regular basis. If you wish to cut down the amount you drink, a good way to help achieve this is to have several drink-free days each week. If you are pregnant or think you could become pregnant, the safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all, to keep risks to your baby to a minimum. Drinking in pregnancy can lead to long-term harm to the baby, with the more you drink the greater the risk.
Who Are the UKs Increasing-Risk Drinkers?
Increasing risk drinkers tended to be older, male and from higher social grades, meaning they tended to occupy top level professions. Over two-thirds were men and nearly half aged 55 or over. Risky drinkers did not tend to turn to booze because of a crisis or dependency issues, the survey found. Instead, their boozing habits were often deeply woven into their careers, friendships, family life and daily routines.
For this reason, increasing-risk drinking has often fallen outside the focus of policy discussions about alcohol harm. Most UK drinkers, specifically 78 per cent, drank within the low-risk guidelines in the week before the survey, but Drinkaware data showed that around eight million people were drinking at increasing-risk levels. This was four times more than the high-risk drinking group, which accounted for about 4 per cent of respondents.
Why Moderation and Prevention Matter for Public Health
As a result, encouraging risky drinkers to consume less could have significant public health benefits and prevent alcohol harm, Drinkaware said. Drinking prevention efforts should focus more on encouraging moderation, rather than on treatment services, the charity added. Even if you are not dependent on booze, cutting back can be difficult. The survey showed that 58 per cent of increasing-risk drinkers have tried to consume less alcohol in the last year. But they were three times more likely than low-risk drinkers to return to previous levels.
Many, specifically 63 per cent, described themselves as fairly normal drinkers and an equal amount were not concerned about the impact their drinking may have on their future health. This is often because they feel they do other things to outweigh the effects, or they do not think they drink enough for their future health to be affected, Drinkaware said.
Hiding in Plain Sight Through Social Norms
Paul, 49, from Essex, who took part in Drinkaware's latest campaign encouraging balanced drinking, said: "I saw my drinking as normal. I wasn't having eight pints in a couple of hours like other people I knew. It would be spread over a day out, like football, the races, or a work do. For me, that could mean eight to ten pints over the day, and that was normal."
Meanwhile, 41 per cent of risky drinkers said they had not felt the need to cut back because other people they mix with socially drink similar amounts. But this group were also three times more likely than low-risk drinkers to have a tipple alone at home, with many using it to unwind.
Karen Tyrell, Chief Executive of Drinkaware, added: "Our research shows that many increasing-risk drinkers do not see themselves as being at risk. Their drinking is often shaped by the routines, social norms and everyday environments that influence how, when and why people drink. This means supporting moderation requires a broader, system-wide approach that makes moderation easier to maintain by addressing the social expectations and influences that shape drinking behaviour. For anyone who is concerned about their own drinking, or that of friends and family, Drinkaware's Drinking Check provides a simple way to understand your drinking and access practical advice and support to help find a better balance with alcohol."
