Weekly binge-drinking has risen among drinkers in Britain, with the proportion reporting the habit increasing from 11 per cent to 13 per cent in a year, according to Drinkaware’s annual survey.
The figures suggest about six million people are now binge-drinking every week, as holiday routines and warm-weather drinking continue into the autumn.
Half of drinkers said they consume more alcohol while on holiday, while one in five drink more when the weather is pleasant. Nearly as many said they drink more when they have nothing planned for the following day.
As the children return to school and the evenings become shorter, health professionals are warning that habits formed over the summer can be difficult to break. Tolerance to alcohol can build within weeks, meaning people may need more to achieve the same effect.
Regular triggers can also become associated with drinking, including sunshine, the end of the working day, cooking supper or speaking to friends. By September, those links may have become firmly established.
How to reset drinking after the summer
The recommended limit is no more than 14 units a week, spread over at least three days, with several alcohol-free days.
The first step is to record every drink consumed over a week and calculate the units. A standard bottle of wine contains about 10 units, while a large 250ml glass contains more than three. A pint of ordinary-strength lager has nearly three units, a double gin has about two and a pint of 4 per cent ale contains 2.3 units.
Keeping a written total can reveal how quickly measures have increased during the summer and show how much needs to change.
Having at least three drink-free days each week is another important measure. Consecutive days can help reduce tolerance, while choosing the days in advance makes them easier to treat as fixed commitments.
Reducing the size of drinks can also lower consumption without requiring people to give up alcohol altogether. At home, this could mean returning to a 125ml glass instead of a 175ml or 250ml measure; in pubs, drinkers can ask for small glasses of wine, half pints or single spirits.
Anyone who began drinking at 5pm during the holidays could try moving the first drink to 7pm for two weeks, and then to 8pm. Eating before drinking may also slow the rate at which alcohol is absorbed.
Alternating an alcoholic drink with water or a low- or no-alcohol option can further reduce the amount consumed over an evening. Drinkaware said half of young adults use low- or no-alcohol drinks, and they can provide an alternative at the start of the night.
After four weeks, drinkers should review their total and consider whether cutting back felt manageable. If alcohol-free days proved difficult, consumption did not fall, or attempts to reduce drinking repeatedly failed, the advice is to speak to a GP rather than dismiss the problem as a lingering holiday habit.
