- 2.5 million mid-life men (aged 45-64) regularly drink over the Chief Medical Officers’ low-risk drinking guidelines of 14 units per week
- Polling reveals 24% of mid-life men don’t think they can talk to someone about their drinking without feeling judged
- Drinkaware’s campaign with Andy’s Man Club say to mid-life men ‘it's okay to talk about drinking’
- Campaign video: Watch here
Two and a half million mid-life men (aged 45-64) regularly drink over the Chief Medical Officers’ low-risk drinking guidelines of 14 units per week, according to the Drinkaware 2025 Monitor, putting their health at serious risk.
Drinkaware polling data also shows that 24% of mid-life men don’t think men their age can talk to someone about their drinking without feeling judged - a significant barrier many men face when it comes to opening-up, and one that highlights the need for better support.
That’s why Drinkaware has teamed up with Andy’s Man Club to say to mid-life men (aged 45-64) ‘it's okay to talk about drinking’. The campaign shares firsthand accounts from Andy’s Man Club members, Oli, Lucas, Luke, and Chris, who open-up about their struggles with alcohol and its impact on their mental health and relationships with families and friends. Watch here.
A Drinkaware survey of more than 2,000 men aged 45-64 found:
- 27% have been given an alcoholic drink without having been asked first
- 27% find it challenging to socialise without having a
- 26% have ‘nursed’ a drink to avoid pressure to have another alcoholic
- 22% have had their glass topped up without having been asked first
- 18% report being encouraged to drink more despite saying they did not want to
- 16% say they often feel pressure to have a drink, even when they don't want to
Karen Tyrell, CEO of the charity Drinkaware, said:
“Our research shows that 2.5 million men aged 45-64 are putting their health at serious risk by regularly drinking above the guidelines of 14 units a week.
“We also found that this group of men struggle to open up, especially when it comes to their drinking, because they often feel judged.
“That’s why we’ve teamed up with Andy’s Man Club to say it’s okay to talk about drinking and give men the confidence to speak honestly about how they’re feeling and better understand their relationship with alcohol by using tools like our free Drinking Check on our website”
Oli, Andy’s Man Club member and participant in the campaign, added:
“After completing the Drinking Check, my social circles have actually improved. A lot of my socialising used to revolve around drinking, and I’d often end up drinking more than I planned because of the pressures involved. Now I’ve got a better balance, I’m more on top of my drinking and confident in sticking to my limits when out with mates.”
A quick and easy way to understand how alcohol may be impacting your health, is to take the free Drinking Check.
The Drinking Check is an easy-to-use digital prevention tool, 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.
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.