Britons massively underestimate how much alcohol they consume, which could lead to health problems

Raising a glass on holidays and special occasions means we all lose count of what we’re drinking, warn researchers.

At least 12 million more bottles of wine a week are ‘missing’ from official statistics, they claim.

As a result Britons massively underestimate how much alcohol they consume, which could lead to health problems, says a study published in the open access journal BMC Medicine.

Drinking alcohol is related to 200 different health conditions.

In many countries, including England, the impact of alcohol on public health is usually tracked by surveys of average consumption.

These data are sometimes not reflected in sales figures, such as in England where survey data accounts for only about 60 per cent of alcohol sales.

Asking people about what they drink on holidays and other special occasions found the equivalent of 12 million more bottles of wine a week was consumed than previously thought.

Lead author on the study, Mark Bellis from Liverpool John Moores University and Bangor University, said ‘In England, there is a huge difference between what surveys report is consumed and how much alcohol is sold.

‘Every week, the equivalent of over three quarters of a bottle of wine per drinker goes unaccounted for. The problem is that surveys usually ask about typical drinking.

‘This means summer holidays, bank holidays, weddings and many other special occasions when consumption often increases are left out.

‘As a result, nationally we underestimate how much we drink and as individuals we can turn a blind eye to our heavier drinking periods when we calculate personal consumption.

‘For many people though these sessions add substantial amounts of alcohol to their annual consumption and inevitably increase their risks of developing alcohol related ill health.’

A team from Liverpool John Moores University, funded by Alcohol Research UK, set out to investigate patterns of drinking and how it differs during holidays and special occasions.

Altogether 6,085 randomly selected people in England were interviewed by phone, identifying 4,604 current drinkers.

Special occasions and holidays are being blamed for a massive difference between the amount of alcohol sold in the UK

Participants were asked about their typical drinking patterns and those outside of typical circumstances such as holidays or special occasions.

Categories of drinkers were based on age groups and level of typical consumption, and most saw an increase of consumption during holidays or special occasions.

The largest increase of alcohol intake was seen in those aged 25-34 years old who had the highest level of typical consumption.

This category of drinker added an average of 18 units (144 g) of additional alcohol per week due to special occasion drinking.

Government guidelines recommend men should not regularly drink more than three to four units of alcohol a day, with a maximum for women of two to three units a day.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists has recommended that alcohol limits should be cut for both sexes to a maximum of 11 units per week or 1.5 units a day for people aged 65 years or more.

Figures released last month showed UK alcohol consumption fell again in 2013, for the seventh year out of the past nine years.

Annual consumption per head is now 7.7 litres – the lowest level this century.

James Nicholls from Alcohol Research UK, said ‘Patterns of consumption have a significant influence on the health impacts of alcohol.

‘For instance, it is widely recognized that any protective effects of moderate drinking on the heart are cancelled out by heavy drinking episodes.

‘By looking just at average levels of consumption, we only get a very rough impression of drinking behaviours and any associated risks.