A quarter of UK adults cut down drinking in January 2020

A quarter of UK adults cut down on drinking in January 2020. More than a quarter of UK drinkers (27%) reduced, or completely stopped, drinking in January, reveals research independent alcohol charity, Drinkaware.

The study found almost three quarters (72%) of those people who said they drank less or stopped drinking in January 2020, planned to continue in the long-term.*

The research, which was carried out by YouGov on behalf of Drinkaware, also finds that taking drink-free days is the most popular technique to cut down on drinking, with more than a third (38%) of these drinkers who are planning to cut down in the long-term saying they will take drink-free days during the week. Other techniques people intend to use include:

• A third (33%) intend to avoid alcohol on a ‘work’ night
• Over a quarter (26%) intend to set themselves a drinking limit
• One in five (20%) intend to avoid always having alcohol in the house
• Drinkaware’s Chief Executive Elaine Hindal said: “The end of January is a great time to evaluate new year commitments, like reducing your drinking – or stopping completely. It’s incredible to see that such a large proportion of people who committed to reducing their drinking – or stopping completely – are planning to do so long-term.

“The reality is that the more you drink, the greater the risk for your health. Reducing how much you drink can absolutely be a resolution that lasts beyond January, so it’s great to see so many people committing to that.

“There are lots of benefits people tend to see when they drink less. More energy, brighter mood, better quality of sleep, improved skin. And alcohol is calorific so it can even help you lose weight. It makes complete sense to keep these good habits going.”

Drinkaware advises, when drinking, keep track and stay within the Chief Medical Officers’ low risk drinking guidelines, which recommend drinking not more than 14 units of alcohol per week, spread over three or more days.

Learn more about the low risk drinking guidelines

* Of this group, 59% said they plan to continue to reduce their drinking in the long-term, whilst 12% said they plan to stop drinking completely in the long-term.