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The figures show 31 per cent of men drink hazardous
levels of between 21 and 50 units a week, with 14 units being the appropriate
limit, compare to 23 per cent previously.
20 percent of women are hazardous drinkers because they
consume between 14 and 35 units a week, compared with 12 percent under
the old method.
In total, about 40% men drink excessively at least once
a week, up from 30% earlier. One in three women now drinks more than is
safe at least once in a week, up from one in five.
The figures are the first since the Office for National
Statistics updated its methods for calculating alcohol consumption to
take account of a rise in the size of the average wine glass and an increase
in the strength of the average bottle of wine.
Under the new guidance a small glass of wine counts as
one unit, an average glass as two and a large glass as three.
According to the ONS research, workers in managerial
and professional jobs drink more on average and drink more often, than
those in manual or unskilled jobs.
Men in higher managerial jobs drink on average 22.9 units
a week against the recommended safe limit of 21 units for men while such
women are drinking on average 12.5 units a week, double that of women
in routine jobs.
The study does not seem to have taken into consideration
the alcohol level of the wines. A comparison of a Burgundy wine at 12.5%
alcohol vs. a 15.5% Spanish, Chilean and American wine is appx. 25 % and
cannot be ignored.
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