It’s November 2024 and my puritanical american children are attending their first autumn fair at their new English primary school. There’s a laser show and hotdogs and a raffle. There’s also a bar for the parents, which makes my two pull up short. Newcomers to this country experience manny cultural differences but perhaps none as striking as this: “Is that alcohol?” says my child, scowling up at me like a tiny member of the Taliban. “At a school thing?” I’m two Baileys hot chocolates in at this point and give her a smile 10% broader than necessary. Yes, my darlings; welcome to Britain.
Or at least,welcome,possibly,to the last vestiges of how Britain once was.For a while now we’ve known anecdotally that people in this country are drinking less than they were. My own generation X is deep into middle age and many of us – save for the odd life-saver at a school event and the biggest occasions - have given it up. Where the anomalies fall more glaringly is in the generations below us, among young people whose behavior differs from our own at their age. This week, official confirmation came in the form of a survey of 10,000 people commissioned by the NHS that found almost a quarter (24%) of adults in England had not drunk alcohol in 2024, an increase from just under a fifth (19%) in 2022.
The top line, of course, is that this is a good thing. Not for the drinks industry, obviously, but for the NHS, and also for people trying to maximise their life expectancy, which is all of us. Rigorous self-optimisation via application to the data is how we spend our leisure time these days, on the strength of which, after reading a piece about cancer-reducing foods this morning, I bought a “wheatberry, lentil and green vegetable salad” that I’m almost certainly not going to eat. What even is a wheatberry? Nobody knows. The point is we’re trying.
If I sound sarcastic, I don’t mean to. I love not drinking. And it’s meaningful not to join the ranks of those people in the generation above mine who, in the 1990s, when smoking bans took hold across the US, wrote long pieces arguing that cigarettes represented the buccaneer spirit of the country and, as a result, smokers were more interesting than people who drank “green juice”. These were, objectively, the worst people in the world and, while no one likes a teetotaller, it’s important to resist turning into them.
My interest is more in what youth culture will look like without alcohol. The## Alcohol Consumption & Public Health in England
The provided text discusses personal reflections on alcohol consumption, family history of addiction, and recent findings regarding the financial burden of alcohol-related harm on the National Health service (NHS) in England.### NHS Costs Related to Alcohol (2024)
A study published in May 2024 estimates that alcohol-related illness costs the NHS in England approximately £4.9 billion annually.The guardian reported on this research, which highlights the significant economic impact of alcohol misuse. Further details on NHS spending and alcohol-related harm can be found on the UK Government website regarding alcohol misuse policies.
### Trends in Alcohol Consumption in England
Recent data from Public Health England (now part of the Department of Health and Social Care) indicates fluctuating trends in alcohol consumption. While there was an increase during the COVID-19 pandemic, NHS Digital data shows a slight decrease in overall consumption in 2023 compared to pre-pandemic levels. However, harmful drinking patterns remain a concern.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) provides detailed statistics on alcohol-specific deaths and hospital admissions. The latest figures (as of November 2023) show a continued rise in alcohol-specific deaths,especially among middle-aged adults.
### Public Health Recommendations & Guidance
The NHS provides guidance on safe alcohol consumption levels. Current recommendations suggest no more than 14 units of alcohol per week, spread evenly across three or more days. The UK Government also offers advice and resources for those seeking to reduce their alcohol intake or access support for alcohol addiction.
### Alcohol Metabolism & Individual Health
The text also mentions a personal experience with a changing metabolism. While individual metabolic rates vary, factors such as age, genetics, diet, and physical activity can all influence how the body processes alcohol. The Drinkaware charity provides information on the effects of alcohol on the body and offers tools to help individuals assess their drinking habits.
