'Britons drinking more alcohol'

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British drinkers consume 10% more alcohol than they did in 2000 but the volume of alcoholic drinks consumed has stayed static in that period, according to leading research company Mintel.

Jonny Forsyth, senior drinks analyst at Mintel, said: "In the 1970s a bottle of wine may have been around 11% in ABV and now the same bottle is more likely to be around 13%."

She continued: "Equally, we have seen stronger lager become much more popular over the past couple of decades, with the growth of the 5% 'premium' lager sector.

"It may be that the majority of consumers are not aware of ABV and don't even notice. So despite a greater societal concern with being healthy leading to a decline in drinking penetration, by stealth we are drinking more pure alcohol than ever."

But younger drinkers are less likely to believe that drunkenness is the end goal of any night out and the number who drink at least two or three times a week has fallen.

In a sign that binge drinking may be becoming less socially acceptable, 22% fewer 18-24-year-olds agreed with the statement, "the point of drinking is to get drunk" than did five years ago, according to the study.

And the number of men aged 18-24 hitting the bottle more than twice a week has fallen by 13% and by 26% among women.

But older drinkers who have just a few glasses of wine each night but drink more often are dwarfing the amount of alcohol bought by their younger counterparts.

The number of drinkers in the UK has fallen from 90% in 2004 to 87% last year, according to the research, but the number of those drinking at home has risen to 92% with the AB section of the population - known by marketers as Wealthy Achievers - most likely to have a tipple on the sofa.