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Drinkaware Drinking Check reaches 1.5 million completions of its free, digital tool designed to help people understand their drinking
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One in five adults in the UK drink above the Chief Medical Officers’ low-risk guidelines of 14 units a week
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Just under half (45%) of those who have completed the Drinking Check were identified as high-risk (15%) or possibly dependent drinkers (30%)
Leading alcohol-harm charity Drinkaware reaches a significant milestone, with 1.5 million completions of its Drinking Check since 2023.
The Drinking Check is a free, easy-to-use digital prevention tool that allows people to understand how their drinking might be impacting their health. It is based on the internationally recognised World Health Organisation (WHO) Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and offers simple, actionable advice to people who might benefit from cutting back.
Drinking Check completions found:
- Just under a half (45%) were flagged as high-risk (15%) or possibly dependent (30%) drinkers
- 32% were identified as drinking at an increasing risk level, with 23% deemed low risk
- Eight of ten (82%) people said they had not completed a drinking check before
- 56% of the respondents were male, with 43% were females
Following the completion of the Drinking Check, all individuals receive confidential, personalised information on how to access support should they need it.
An independent evaluation of the Drinking Check’s effectiveness found that 61% intended to take some positive action. For those who filled in the Drinking Check for someone else, 85% intended to take positive action about the person they were concerned about.
Karen Tyrell, CEO of the charity Drinkaware, said:
“Reaching 1.5m completions of the Drinking Check is a major milestone and makes it one of the most widely used digital screening tools outside of the NHS.
“Our partners support has been key to the success of the Drinking Check so far. But to reach even more people, greater collaboration between government and organisations across the alcohol space is essential. Only by working together can we reach more of those who need our help.”
This year alone, Drinkaware has partnered with supermarket giants Morrisons and pharmacy chain Payden’s to deliver the Drinking Check in pharmacies across the UK, making alcohol screening and brief advice more accessible in the community.
Drinkaware also teamed up with Jameson at the start of the year in a campaign encouraging football fans to check their drinking. More recently, it joined forces with men’s mental health charity Andy’s Man Club and football legend Chris Kamara to say to middle-aged men (45-64) ‘it’s okay to talk about drinking’.
Drinkaware’s Drinking Check Tool: https://www.drinkaware.co.uk
How does the Drinking Check work?
There are ten multiple-choice questions that cover various aspects of your alcohol use, such as:
- How many alcohol units you drink on a typical drinking day
- Whether you can stop drinking after starting, or need a drink in the morning
- Being unable to remember what happened the night before, or being injured
Your answer to each question is scored from 0-4, depending on the level of risk suggested by your response. The scores are added together to give a total score between 0-40 - the higher the score, the greater the likelihood that you are drinking in a risky or harmful way.
What do the different scores mean?
- 0 to 7 indicates lower risk
- 8 to 15 indicates increasing risk
- 16 to 19 indicates higher risk
- 20 or more indicates possible dependence
The score on any AUDIT test isn’t a diagnosis of anything by itself. Your score can suggest the presence of a potential alcohol use disorder, but a healthcare professional will be able to offer you advice that considers other factors that are relevant for you – like your age, sex and genetic factors
Five Top Tips to help you moderate your drinking and keep within the Chief Medical Officer’s low risk guidelines.
- Know the limits: The advice is the same for men and women. To keep your risk of health harms low, drink no more than 14 units of alcohol each week, spread over three or more days with several drink-free days and no bingeing.
- Set your goals: Each week set a goal and track your progress, whether you’ve achieved your goal or not. And remember, slip ups happen so don’t beat yourself up – if you haven’t hit your goal one week, make a fresh start the day after
- Ask for support: Having a supportive friend that knows you’re trying to cut back on your drinking can make a big difference. Tell them how important it is for you and why.
- Try switching to alcohol-free drinks: If you’re looking for a way to cut down on alcohol without cutting it out completely, alcohol-free or low alcohol drinks could be right for you.
- Don’t give up! And celebrate your achievement Stick with it! More than 40% of our daily behaviours are determined by habits. And don’t forget to celebrate your achievements.