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There’s been a major rise in the usage of low- and alcohol-free drinks to curb alcohol consumption amongst “risky drinkers” over the previous 5 years in England, Wales, and Scotland, finds analysis revealed in BMJ Public Well being.
The proportion of these utilizing them to make critical makes an attempt to chop down their alcohol consumption rose from 35% in 2020 to 44% in 2024, whereas these utilizing them in any try to chop down elevated from 26% to 39%.
The developments had been particularly noticeable among the many over-65s, whereas girls and the comparatively well-off had been extra prone to eat these drinks than males and probably the most economically deprived, the findings point out.
The gross sales and availability of low- and alcohol-free drinks have risen sharply within the UK since 2020, and the UK authorities promotes the substitution of ordinary alcoholic drinks with these options as a hurt discount software, clarify the researchers. Nevertheless it’s not clear to what extent the growing provide of low- and alcohol-free drinks has contributed to discount makes an attempt, notably amongst those that drink extra closely.
In a bid to seek out out, the researchers drew on knowledge collected in Nice Britain between October 2020 and August 2024 as a part of the Smoking and Alcohol Toolkit Research, which collects month-to-month knowledge on adults’ sociodemographic, smoking, and consuming traits.
The pattern was restricted to these consuming at growing and higher-risk ranges, outlined as an Alcohol Use Issues Identification Check-Consumption (AUDIT-C) rating of 5 or extra, and who had tried to chop down their alcohol consumption within the earlier yr.
They had been requested if they’d used low- and/or alcohol-free drinks and which, of a wide range of evidence-based assist choices, they’d used of their makes an attempt to curb their alcohol consumption.
The ultimate evaluation included 9,397 individuals whose common age was 46. It confirmed that the proportion of these reporting the usage of low- and alcohol-free drinks to scale back their alcohol consumption elevated considerably between 2020 and 2024.
The proportion of these utilizing these options to make critical makes an attempt to curb their consuming rose by 9%, from 35% to 44%, and by 14%, from 26% to 39%, amongst these making any try to chop down.
Noticeably, the proportion of older adults (65+) utilizing low- and alcohol-free drinks was decrease than younger and middle-aged adults to begin with, however rose extra steeply over time.
However the proportion of these utilizing neither these options nor evidence-based approaches, reminiscent of behavioral assist or drug remedy, fell. And the proportion utilizing evidence-based choices both alone or together with low- or alcohol-free drinks remained low, at round 10%, the responses confirmed.
That is an observational examine that solely assessed developments in self-reported use of low- and alcohol-free drinks for alcohol discount makes an attempt and subsequently cannot make any assumptions concerning the effectiveness of those drinks in truly decreasing alcohol consumption, emphasize the researchers.
Some respondents can also have understood the time period “alcohol-free” to imply mushy drinks reminiscent of kombucha or flavored sodas, they add.
“The rise in the prevalence of alcohol-free/low-alcohol use in cut-down attempts in Great Britain may be driven by greater availability of alcohol-free/low-alcohol drinks in pubs or increased marketing, such as the partnership between the charity organizing the Dry January campaign and alcohol-free drink producers, which started in 2022,” recommend the researchers.
“It is also possible that the observed changes are consumer-driven, i.e. that people’s interest in alternatives to standard strength alcoholic drinks is growing, and the market is responding to this demand,” they add.
“In any case, it is vital for future research to establish whether alcohol-free/low-alcohol drinks are an effective tool to reduce alcohol consumption…or whether people consume [these] drinks in addition to standard alcoholic drinks, therefore resulting in no change in alcohol consumption,” they level out.
Moreover, they spotlight, “The socioeconomic divide is potentially concerning because alcohol-related harm is disproportionately experienced by people who are less advantaged. If alcohol-free/low-alcohol drinks are shown to be effective for harm reduction, it will be vital to develop interventions targeted at people with less advantaged socioeconomic positions to reduce health inequalities.”
Extra info:
Traits in use of alcohol-free or low alcohol drinks in makes an attempt to scale back alcohol consumption in Nice Britain, 2020-2024: a population-based examine, BMJ Public Well being (2025). DOI: 10.1136/bmjph-2025-002775
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Low- and alcohol-free drinks gaining recognition amongst ‘dangerous’ UK drinkers (2025, September 23)
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