Alcohol misuse: tackling the UK epidemic - London

BMA Board of Science
Where is alcohol consumed?
Recent years have seen an increasing trend among UK adults toward home-based alcohol
consumption. 4
Data on UK household expenditure suggest that more alcohol is purchased in
on-licenced premises (such as restaurants, bars, public houses) than off-licenced premises (such as
supermarkets and shops). A 2007 report from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs (DEFRA) found that 58 per cent of total household expenditure on alcoholic drinks in the
UK was spent on alcohol consumed outside the home in 2005/06. 52
This was a decrease from
60 per cent in 2002/03. 52
Expenditure on alcoholic drinks consumed outside the home has fallen
slightly each year from 2002/03 to 2005/06. 52
The 2006 ONS survey Family spending found that
alcohol bought and consumed on licensed premises accounted for slightly more than half (57%) of
all expenditure on alcoholic drink (£14.80 per household per week), while the remaining £6.30
was spent on alcohol bought at large supermarket chains or off-licence outlets. 53
This trend toward home-based alcohol consumption most likely reflects the lower cost of alcohol
in off-licences compared to licenced premises in the UK. Among younger adults, there is also an
increased tendency to consume alcohol at home prior to going out. 4
Alcohol consumption among
teenagers and adolescents below the legal purchase age for alcohol is commonly home-based, but
with increasing age, becomes more non-home-based (often outdoors or illegally in licenced
4, 54
premises) and away from parental supervision.
Alcohol misuse: tackling the UK epidemic 25