Is Britain Really Giving Up on Alcohol?

August 16, 2026 | Britain’s enthusiastic — and occasionally problematic — relationship with alcohol is well-documented. It was Britain, after all, that invented the pub and the pint.

However, recent data has shown that the average Briton consumed 10.2 alcoholic drinks per week last year. Although that may sound high, it is actually the lowest since records began in 1990.

Those in midlife and older people are by far the biggest drinkers these days, as younger people turn to running clubs and non-alcoholic alternatives.

The Sunday Times’s Daniel Woolfson looks at why Britain’s relationship with alcohol could be on the rocks.