Britons are drinking less this Christmas, study finds

‘Tis the season for sobering statistics

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More than a third of Brits are choosing not to drink alcohol at up to four social occasions this festive season, a new study has found.

According to research conducted by Populus on behalf of Coca-Cola Great Britain, 37 per cent of Britons will stay sober at Christmas parties while 16 per cent of 25-34 year olds won’t drink at all throughout December.

However, that's not deterring those aged 65+, 43 per cent of whom will still be getting merry on the alcoholic beverages, the study revealed.

The research comes as part of Coca-Cola’s designated driver campaign and also revealed that going sober this season was particularly prevalent for young people, with 57 per cent of 18-24 year olds consciously choosing to avoid alcohol at parties in the last month.

Their reasons for avoiding the lure of prosecco and mulled wine varied: for 29 per cent, it was simply a case of saving money; for 20 per cent it was because they are into health and fitness and for 10 per cent it was just because they felt there were other, more interesting beverages on offer that happened to be non-alcoholic.

For 39 per cent of participants, the thought of the dreaded hangover put them off drinking all together, whereas 29 per cent chose not to drink because they were the designated driver and 27 per cent just wanted to get home safely.

The study also examined how people respond to those who don’t drink at Christmas parties.

More than a third of participants presumed it was because they were the designated driver, while 35 per cent thought they simply didn’t need alcohol to have a good time.

Aedamar Howlett, marketing director Coca-Cola Great Britain and Ireland said: “We have seen that a third of Brits are choosing not to drink on a night out because they are opting to help their friends and act as the designated driver for their group.

“With more people choosing not to drink this time of year, having a choice of options to go alcohol-free for the night can be more enjoyable for all during the festive season.”