Almost a quarter of drinkers failed to cut down on alcohol post lockdown, finds YouGov poll

A YouGov poll on behalf of alcohol education charity Drinkaware found that nearly a quarter of drinkers failed to reduce their alcohol intake after vowing to do so post lockdown.

Following a poll in June 2021, YouGov revisited respondents to find out how they were doing with their pledge to cut down on booze since Covid restrictions were lifted.

Less than half of those who were first polled managed to reduce their alcohol intake, with 23 per cent failing altogether.

Driven to drink  

In the original June 2021 survey, Drinkaware found that almost half of UK adults who had been made redundant or were going through redundancy talks had started drinking more than usual.

The most recent survey (December 2021) found that the biggest drivers for returning to drink were stress, anxiety, and boredom, with 49 per cent saying alcohol helped them cope with stress and anxiety, and 36 per cent saying it helped relieve boredom.

But there was light at the end of the tunnel, with 22 per cent saying they had plans to take part in Dry January.

Annabelle Bonus of Drinkaware, said: “The current uncertainty about Omicron is likely to be contributing to feelings of stress and anxiety, which people said were a barrier to them cutting back.

“Even with the best of intentions, it can be incredibly tough to reduce the amount you drink. But it’s never too late to make a change.”

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