Alcohol: adult alcohol consumption

The latest available information on adult alcohol consumption can be found in two key population surveys: The Scottish Health Survey (SHeS): Revised Alcohol Consumption Estimates 2003 and the Scottish Social Attitudes Survey 2007. To account for an increase in both the strength and measures of alcoholic drinks in recent years, the Office for National Statistics published new alcohol unit conversion factors in 2007. These updated conversion factors were then applied to recorded alcohol consumption in the Scottish Health Survey 2003. In addition to the new unit conversion factors, the thresholds used to define excessive daily consumption have also changed. To allow for comparability with other major consumption surveys, the new thresholds of binge drinking have also been adopted in The Scottish Health Survey: Revised Alcohol Consumption Estimates 2003. The new thresholds are:

• Men – Consuming more than 8 units per day (revised from 8 or more)
• Women – Consuming more than 6 units per day (revised from 6 or more). Daily benchmarks remain the same as before – that men should not consistently drink more than 3-4 units of alcohol per day, and women should not consistently drink more than 2-3 units of alcohol per day.

The Scottish Health Survey: Revised Alcohol Consumption Estimates 2003 reported that:

Daily Consumption

• Among those who had drunk in the last week, 63% of men and 64% of women drank more than the recommended daily limits on their heaviest drinking day.
• On the heaviest drinking day in the past week, 40% of men and 33% of women who had drunk in the previous week reported 'binge drinking' (.i.e. more than 8 units for men and more than 6 units for women).
• 60% of both men and women aged 16 to 24 reported 'binge drinking' on their heaviest drinking day in the least week.
• Among men, the mean unit consumption on their heaviest drinking day increased from 8.1 units in the least deprived area to 10.4 units in the most deprived area.
• The mean unit consumption for women on their heaviest drinking day in the previous week was broadly similar across all areas, ranging from 5.7 to 6.8 units.

Weekly Consumption

• In a typical week, over a third (34%) of all men drank in excess of the 21 units per week and just under a quarter (23%) of all women drank over the recommended 14 units per week.
• For men, the proportion drinking more than the weekly recommended limit was highest in the 45 to 54 age group with 38% drinking over 21 units a week.
• Among women, those aged 16 to 24 years old were most likely to report drinking more than the recommended weekly limits with 32% drinking more than 14 units a week.
• On average, men drank 20.3 units of alcohol per week, and women drank 9.1 units.
• Both men and women in the least deprived area were more likely to exceed the weekly recommended limits.
• For men, the proportion exceeding 21 units a week varied from 38% in the least deprived area to 30% in the most deprived area.
• The proportion of women who reported drinking more than 14 units per week was highest among those in the least deprived area (32%) and declined to 18% in the most deprived area.