Over a third have changed their drinking habits over the past year

Over a third have changed their drinking habits over the past year - Source:  Unsplash  Credit: Adam Wilson  (CC 2. Over a third of people (34.4%) reported a change in their drinking habits over the last year, and of those nearly half (49.1%) say they are currently drinking more alcohol compared to March/April 2020, find UCL researchers as part of the Covid-19 Social Study. Of those who changed their alcohol consumption, There have, however, also been decreases in alcohol consumption, particularly among the (7.5%) of people studied who reported being heavy drinkers (15+ units a week) a year ago. Overall, two fifths (40.1%) of heavy drinkers reported decreasing their alcohol intake. Nine in ten (91.5%) of young adults (aged 18-29) who were drinking heavily a year ago have reported decreased their drinking; for heavy drinkers aged 30-59 the decrease was 37.5% and for those aged 60+ it was 35. More than 1 in 10 (12.9%) people who smoked in March/April 2020 say they have stopped smoking altogether, a percentage which was similar across age groups, gender and household income. Almost all (98.5%) of non-smokers and ex-smokers have remained so during the pandemic.