Are People in Their 40s the Last Regular Drinkers?

For generations, regular drinking has been deeply woven into British social life, but that relationship with alcohol could be changing.

New research suggests people in their 40s may be the last generation to drink regularly at the levels once considered commonplace.

An analysis of almost 1.7 million people has revealed a striking divide between under-40s and older adults, with younger people drinking less often and in smaller quantities.

The difference becomes particularly pronounced when looking at daily drinking, with fewer than 2% of people in their 20s drinking every day or almost every day.

But as younger adults increasingly turn away from regular drinking, the research also raises important questions about where alcohol-related harm is now concentrated.

Younger Adults are Drinking Less Often

Data from Our Future Health, Britain’s largest health research programme, found that people in their 40s were 52% more likely than adults aged 18 to 39 to drink above the recommended limit of 14 units a week.

Among 18 to 39-year-olds, 12.6% drank more than 14 units weekly. This increased to 19.2% among people in their 40s.

The proportion continued to rise with age, reaching 26% among people in their 50s and 28.2% among those in their 60s.

The research suggests the generational difference is particularly clear in drinking frequency and quantity, rather than simply whether someone drinks alcohol.

Around one quarter of under-40s said they drank only on special occasions, compared with 13% of people in their 60s.

Fewer than 2% of people in their 20s reported drinking daily or almost daily. This rose to almost 6% among people in their 40s and almost 14% among those in their 60s.

Among people aged 80 and over, almost one in four reported drinking every day or almost every day.

Younger adults were also somewhat more likely to avoid alcohol altogether. Around 12% of people in their 20s were teetotal, compared with 8% of people in their 60s.

Ros Blackwood, director of population health at Our Future Health, said the programme offered insights into drinking habits “at a scale that hasn’t yet been possible in health research”.

Our Future Health combines questionnaire responses with health records, clinical measurements and genetic information from millions of volunteers.

Researchers hope this data will help them understand why some people are more vulnerable to illnesses associated with alcohol.

The findings also highlight an association between income and alcohol consumption. Across all age groups, people earning more than £100,000 were the most likely to drink above recommended limits.

Around one quarter of the highest earners exceeded 14 units a week, almost twice the proportion among the lowest earners.

More than nine in 10 people in the highest income group drank alcohol, compared with fewer than eight in 10 people earning £18,000 or less.

What the Drinking Figures mean for the UK

The UK’s Chief Medical Officers advise people who drink regularly to consume no more than 14 units of alcohol a week.

The recommendation applies to both men and women, with guidance for men reduced from 21 units in 2016.

Fourteen units is equivalent to approximately six pints of average-strength beer or six medium glasses of wine.

However, the guidance describes 14 units as a level of low risk rather than completely safe drinking. This is because no level of alcohol consumption is considered risk-free.

Overall, almost nine in 10 adults aged 18 to 39 drank within the recommended limit. This fell to around eight in 10 among people in their 40s and fewer than three-quarters among those in their 50s and 60s.

The findings come as Britain’s drinking culture continues to evolve, while the traditional pub industry faces significant pressures.

British Beer and Pub Association figures show that 300 pubs permanently closed in England and Wales during 2024, resulting in around 4,500 job losses.

More than 2,250 pubs disappeared during the previous five years, although younger adults have not necessarily abandoned pubs and bars altogether.

Industry research indicates that Gen Z consumers continue to use licensed venues but spend less than millennials.

Gen Z consumers spent an average of £98 a month in pubs, bars and similar venues, compared with £123 among millennials.

The changing drinking habits therefore do not necessarily mean younger adults have rejected socialising around alcohol. Instead, the research points towards a shift in how frequently alcohol is consumed and the quantities involved.

Jem Roberts of the Institute of Alcohol Studies welcomed the decline in drinking among younger generations but highlighted concerns about alcohol-related harm among older adults.

He said: “Government needs evidence-based public health measures that support everyone drinking at harmful levels, not just the young.

“That means action on cheap supermarket alcohol and rapid home delivery, both of which make it easier for people drinking heavily in isolation to do so unnoticed.”

Matt Lambert, chief executive of the Portman Group, the alcohol industry self-regulatory body, said the findings supported its own research showing younger people drinking less.

He said that more people than ever before “across all age ranges” were drinking within the recommended limits.

Dr Richard Piper, chief executive of 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 issue, with the data mirroring the trends we’ve been seeing in the Health Survey for England.

“Consumption is more frequent and at more harmful levels among those in middle and later life, likely due to decades of pervasive and poorly regulated advertising by alcohol companies normalising alcohol and creating the notion it is essential to our lives.

“Indeed, it looks like older age groups have something to learn from younger generations on this occasion.”

Ros Blackwood said the research could also help examine “risks, protective factors, longer-term health impacts of alcohol and inequalities”.

As drinking patterns continue to change, the research suggests the biggest generational shift may not be whether people drink alcohol at all, but how often they choose to do so and how much they consume.

Younger adults appear increasingly likely to drink occasionally or within recommended limits, while regular and higher consumption becomes more prevalent among older age groups.

The findings do not mean everyone in their 40s or older drinks heavily, nor that younger adults are immune from alcohol-related harm.

Instead, they reveal a broad population trend that could signal a lasting change in Britain’s drinking culture.

If younger generations continue to drink less frequently and in smaller quantities as they age, people currently in their 40s may indeed represent a turning point between Britain’s traditional drinking culture and a more moderate approach to alcohol.