New research shows that over-40s in Britain are the last generation of regular drinkers.
Data from almost 1.7 million people showed that Britons’ drinking habits varied widely around the age of 40.
The analysis found that those in mid-life drank more often and in greater quantities.
Over-40s were 52 percent more likely than over-40s to exceed government guidelines – consuming more than 14 units of alcohol. alcohol per week, the equivalent of six glasses of wine.
Only 12.6 percent of people aged 18 to 39 drink above the recommended limit, compared to 19 percent of people in their 40s and 28 percent of people aged 60 and over.
The research is the latest addition to a growing body of evidence suggesting that young people in Britain are drinking less than ever.
Government data released in January shows that almost a quarter of adults in England do not drink alcohol at all.
And Office for National Statistics figures published in May showed alcohol-related deaths have fallen to their lowest level since 2021, while sales of zero-percent drinks are soaring.
Only 12.6 percent of people aged 18 to 39 drink above the recommended limit, compared to 19.2 percent of those in their 40s and 28.2 percent of people aged 60 and over, new data shows.
However, the latest data from research firm Our Future Health suggests that wealth – but also age – may play a role in how much Brits drink.
Adults earning more than £100,000 were more likely to drink above the recommended limits in every age category; 25 percent admitted to doing this regularly.
More than nine in ten of the highest earners drank alcohol, compared to less than eight in ten of those earning £18,000 or less.
Generations differed not only in whether they drank at all, but also in how regularly and how much they consumed.
Nearly a quarter of adults under the age of 40 say they only drink on special occasions, compared to 13 percent of those over 60.
Less than two percent of people in their twenties drank daily or almost daily – rising to almost six percent among those in their forties and almost 14 percent among those over sixty.
Of people aged 80 and over, one in four admits to drinking every or almost every day.
Ros Blackwood, director of population health at Our Future Health, said the data provided insights into drinking habits on an unprecedented scale.
Overall, the analysis found that almost nine in 10 adults aged 18 to 39 drank within the weekly limits recommended by health officials – equivalent to around six pints of beer or six medium glasses of wine.
The guidance describes this as ‘low risk’ rather than safe drinking, because no level of alcohol consumption is considered risk-free.
Younger Brits were also more likely to be teetotal than older adults, with 12 percent of those in their twenties abstaining, compared to eight percent of those in their sixties.
Jem Roberts, from the Institute of Alcohol Studies, welcomed the decline in alcohol consumption among younger generations, but expressed concern about rising alcohol-related deaths among older people.
He told the Telegraph: ‘The government needs evidence-based public health measures that support everyone who drinks at harmful levels, not just young people.
‘That means action on cheap supermarket alcohol and fast home delivery, both of which make it easier for people who drink heavily in isolation to do so unnoticed.’
Dr. Richard Piper, chief executive of the charity Alcohol Change UK, said: ‘This is further encouraging evidence that cultural shifts around alcohol are possible, with younger generations drinking less often and at lower levels than those older than them.
‘It’s also an important reminder that alcohol harm isn’t just a young person’s problem, with the data reflecting the trends we’ve seen in the Health Survey for England.
‘Consumption is more common and at more harmful levels among people in middle and later life, likely due to decades of ubiquitous and poorly regulated advertising by alcohol companies that normalizes alcohol and creates the idea that it is essential to our lives.
‘It does appear that older age groups have something to learn from younger generations on this occasion.’
The figures come months after industry data published earlier this year showed pubs in Britain were closing at a record rate of two pubs a day.
The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) says 161 pubs closed in England, Scotland and Wales in the first three months of this year, resulting in the loss of around 2,400 jobs.
The same data also showed that sales of beer, wine and spirits with no or low alcohol content had increased by 870 percent since 2013, with nine in 10 pubs now offering at least one zero percent option.
