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Statistics on alcohol: England, 2003

  • Last modified date:
    8 February 2007

This statistical bulletin presents the most up-to-date information on alcohol use and misuse available at the time of publication (October 2003).

This bulletin is a compendium, presenting the most up-to-date information at time of publication (30 October 2003) on various aspects of drinking, drawn together from a variety of sources. In general the data relate to England, but where data for England are not available, figures for England and Wales, Great Britain or the United Kingdom have been given. The bulletin looks at trends in the prevalence of drinking and consumption patterns of adults and children, and includes information on health related issues, indicators of alcohol related harm, and expenditure on alcohol.

Main Findings:

  • In England in 2001, almost two fifths (38%) of men had drunk more than 4 units of alcohol on at least one day in the previous week: about one fifth of women (22%) had drunk more than 3 units of alcohol on at least one day in the previous week.
  • In 2001, 21% of men had drunk more than 8 units of alcohol on at least one day in the previous week, and 9% of women had drunk more than 6 units.
  • In 2001, average weekly alcohol consumption in England was 16.9 units for men and 7.5 units for women.
  • In 2001, 27% of men and 15% of women aged 16 and over drank on average more than 21 and 14 units a week respectively. Drinking at these levels among men has remained stable at about 27% since 1992: for women it has risen from 12% to 15% in the same period.
  • In 2002, about a quarter (24%) of pupils in England aged 11-15 had drunk alcohol in the previous week: The proportion doing so has fluctuated at about this level since the mid 1990s.
  • Provisional estimates suggest that in 2002, 6 per cent of road traffic accidents involved illegal alcohol levels, and that these accidents resulted in a total of 20,140 casualties.

Bulletin 2003/20
Published 30 October 2003
ISBN 1 84182 772 X

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