Drinking in moderation isn’t a problem, but it is estimated that 9 million people in the UK are regularly drinking over the recommended limits. his becomes a serious problem, because each year, approximately 9,000 people in the UK die of alcohol-related deaths, and alcohol is the third lifestyle risk factor for disease and death, after obesity and smoking. he bottom line is that alcohol costs the NHS £3.5 billion per year – that’s £120 per year, per taxpayer.
Only 18% of British adults say they don’t drink at all, and 17% of men and 12% of women admit to regularly drinking above recommended limits, with 5% of men and 4% of women reporting heavy alcohol consumption of greater than 50 and 35 units per week respectively.