Men aged 55 to 74 are the UK’s biggest drinkers with many admitting they consume almost four times the recommended weekly limit, a survey has revealed.
One in three men aged between 65 and 74 admitted to being indifferent to the possible health damage caused by alcohol consumption, blaming their habits on “boredom” and withdrawing from work.
The next worst group was men aged 55 to 64, who, although slightly less likely to drink risky amounts, drank alcohol most weeks. This age group also reported drinking alcohol three or four days a week.
That’s according to a national online report. survey of 4,763 UK adults aged 18-75, conducted by market researcher Ipsos on behalf of the UK Men’s Sheds Association (UKMSA), a charity that aims to tackle male loneliness through community projects.
The survey asked men and women how much they drank, how often, and who they drank with.
Women of all ages were found to drink alcohol less than three times a week, on average.
This is despite the recent rise of the so-called “wine mom” culture, whereby parents consume alcohol to “get through the day” or “cope with the challenges of motherhood.”
The NHS recommends that men and women drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week (approximately six pints of beer or six medium glasses of wine).
The national online survey of 4,763 UK adults aged 18 to 75 asked men and women how much they drank, how often and who they drank with.
The NHS recommends that people drink no more than 14 “units” of alcohol (around six glasses of wine or pints of beer) per week. This itself has been diluted in recent decades in light of studies illustrating the health dangers of alcohol.
In addition to drinking habits, participants were also asked questions about their mental health and social circles.
The survey found that 22 per cent of men aged 50 to 75 “almost never or never” think about their mental wellbeing compared to 14 per cent of women.
Men aged 50 to 75 were also less likely to say they felt “loved” when asked about their personal lives, and like other groups of men, they also reported having shrinking social circles.
The findings come as a campaign urges men to socialize and discuss life’s problems outside of an alcohol-based environment.
Former world boxing champion Tony Bellew, who launched the ‘Men on a Mission’ campaign for DRINKiQ and the UK Men’s Association, said men can lose purpose in life as they age and give up other activities.
He warned that this loss of purpose can lead to men spending more time drinking in the pub or sometimes alone.
He said: ‘Sometimes the sense of mission can diminish for men as we age. Your children grow up. Your work ends. We could do less.
‘And the time we spend inactive could end up being more time on the sofa or in the pub. And that’s fine once or twice a week, but the more we do it, the more it adds up.
‘When I retired from boxing, I saw the hole that retirement can leave. I left a mission behind and I needed to make being well a mission. “We need to grab life by the throat.”
Rob Lloyd, from UKMSA, added: ‘It’s not just about creating a project together, it’s about creating a safe space to talk and support each other as we navigate life’s changes.
“There is a real need for places where men can connect and find renewed purpose, especially in those later years.”