This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
Alcohol consumption in England is “hugely” underestimated, study suggests
The research, which was reported in the journal BMC Medicine, conducted 6,085 telephone interviews with members of the British public. The research focused on drinking patterns outside of usual circumstances and suggests that drinking on special occasions such as birthdays and bank holidays has largely been unaccounted for in surveys regarding drinking habits.
Most age groups showed increased consumption on special occasions, with the biggest increase seen in the 25-35 age group, who consumed an extra 18 units of alcohol per week on special occasions.
Dr Mark Bellis, the lead scientist for the research, said: “The problem is that surveys usually ask about typical drinking. This means summer holidays, bank holidays, weddings and many other special occasions when consumption often increases are left out.
“As a result, nationally we underestimate how much we drink and as individuals we can turn a blind eye to our heavier drinking periods when we calculate personal consumption.
“For many people though, these sessions add substantial amounts of alcohol to their annual consumption and inevitably increase their risks of developing alcohol-related ill-health.”
There are thought to be around 200 different alcohol related health conditions and in 2012 there were 3.3 million alcohol related deaths worldwide.
James Nicholls of Alcohol Research UK also commented on the research and its wider health implications: "Patterns of consumption have a significant influence on the health impacts of alcohol.
"For instance, it is widely recognised that any protective effects of moderate drinking on the heart are cancelled out by heavy drinking episodes.
"By looking just at average levels of consumption, we only get a very rough impression of drinking behaviours and any associated risks.
"If we can better quantify where peaks in consumption occur, among which groups of drinkers, and at what scale, we will be much better placed to target interventions aimed at reducing harm."
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