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Consumers drinking at home to save costs

Over half of consumers drink at home at least once a week - a trend fuelled by the economic climate, a new survey has revealed.

The findings are revealed today by a YouGov poll that found  the most common reason for drinking at home was cost. Of the 2034 adults sampled over two days in September, 45% said they drank at home because it was cheaper.

The poll carried out on behalf of Alcohol Concern for Alcohol Awareness Week, also showed that two thirds of people had bought more alcohol to drink at home than planned because of a promotion or special offer.

The charity is concerned that the high levels of home drinking mean it's more difficult for people to drink safely. The survey showed that 42% of people never keep track of how much they're drinking when drinking at home.

Alcohol Concern chief executive Don Shenker said: "Home drinking has become a normal and affordable luxury for many people. But as a country, we are facing a growing health burden. There's no doubt that price promotions encourage us to drink more and effectively incentivises heavier drinking."

He added: "Sticking to the sensible drinking guidelines when drinking at home can be difficult without the help of proper measures and standard servings."

The charity is calling for improved labelling on alcoholic bottles and cans in a bid to help
consumers make informed choices about how much they are drinking.

Wine and Spirit Trade Association spokesman Gavin Partington said: "The facts tell a different story. Consumption of alcohol is going down and the evidence from retailers shows promotions do not increase consumption.

"In fact purchase patterns show promotions are predominantly used by people to buy the products they prefer for consumption over a longer period of time.

"As for improved labelling, as an industry we are in favour of providing consumers with more information to help them make responsible and informed choices about how much they are drinking." 

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