In June, Drinkaware launched its new five‑year strategy. Our Director of Research, Strategy and Impact, Annabelle Bonus, outlines why accelerating the shift towards moderation is essential to reducing alcohol harm.
As an independent charity funded through voluntary contributions from across the alcohol industry, Drinkaware believes lasting change can only be achieved through collaboration. That’s why we’re calling on partners across sectors to join our ambition to see two million fewer risky drinkers by 2030.
Why making moderation more visible matters
Something is changing in the UK’s relationship with alcohol.
Across the country, more people are choosing to drink less. Our Monitor data shows UK adults are drinking less frequently, consuming less alcohol when they do drink, and increasingly staying within the Chief Medical Officers’ low-risk drinking guidelines. Younger generations, in particular, are often more aware of alcohol’s impact on their physical and mental health.
Moderation is becoming more visible. Choosing not to drink, taking a break, switching to alcohol-free alternatives, or simply drinking less increasingly feels like a positive choice. Movements such as Dry January and Mindful Drinking, alongside the growth of alcohol-free and low-alcohol alternatives, have helped normalise moderation in a way that simply did not exist a decade ago.
This matters not just because drinking habits are changing, but because it shows that perceptions of what feels “normal” are shifting. We know social norms around alcohol shape how people behave. As moderation becomes more visible and accepted, more people may feel able to reflect on their drinking and make changes, if they want to, before harm occurs.
These trends are encouraging. But they sit alongside historically high alcohol-related deaths, pressure on healthcare services, and alcohol-related harm that is disproportionately experienced by some individuals and communities.
This reinforces the need for a broad approach to prevention alongside treatment and support. Specialist help remains vital for people drinking at high-risk levels, or who may be dependent, but we can also build on positive changes by making moderation easier, more visible, and more socially supported.
Accelerating a cultural shift towards moderation
Drinking is often thought of as a personal choice. But like many behaviours, our decisions about alcohol are influenced by the people and environments around us.
Friends, family, colleagues, communities, and wider culture shape what feels typical, acceptable, and expected. They influence how much we drink, when we drink, and whether cutting back feels easy or difficult, supported or questioned.
When moderation is visible and accepted, it helps people think differently about their drinking and make changes if they want to. It makes conversations easier, changes more manageable, and support less intimidating. In practice, this might just mean noticing that you’re drinking more often than you intended, or that your habits no longer align with your health and wellbeing goals.
Attitudes to drink driving offer a clear historical example. Over time, drink driving moved from being relatively common to widely seen as unacceptable. This wasn’t just due to new legislation, but a broader shift in awareness and expectations.
The behaviours associated with moderation, such as drinking less often, drinking less on certain occasions, or taking breaks from alcohol, are already familiar to many drinkers. This provides a strong foundation for a wider cultural shift. By building on existing behaviours, Drinkaware aims to accelerate change, make moderation a more visible and accepted part of everyday life, and reduce alcohol-related risk at scale.
A group often overlooked
Despite these positive trends, millions of people across the UK drink above the low-risk guidelines without seeing alcohol as a concern. Many are working, raising families, maintaining relationships, and fully engaged in everyday life.
For many people, alcohol-related harm doesn’t feel like an immediate or personal concern. Our research shows that around seven million UK adults drink at increasing risk levels, yet six in ten don’t see themselves as having a problem, and almost two thirds have never checked how much they drink. As a result, messages about alcohol risks don’t always resonate.
Because this group is so large, even small changes in behaviour could make a meaningful difference to societal trends. That is why creating the conditions for earlier reflection and lower-risk choices matters.
Creating the conditions for change
This sits at the heart of Drinkaware’s new strategy. We want to help create a culture where moderation feels normal and supported, and where people can access simple, low-barrier tools, services and support.
Achieving this will require action at multiple levels. That’s why the strategy has three interconnected goals:
1. Reinforce moderation as the cultural norm, making it an easier choice for more people
2. Provide practical guidance and support for people drinking above the low-risk guidelines
3. Work with partners to influence and accelerate the positive shifts in moderation
It also means supporting a wider environment, across social settings, retail and wider culture, where lower-risk choices feel easier, more visible and more normalised.
This is not about removing alcohol from people’s lives. For many, it remains a source of connection and enjoyment. The aim is to ensure lower-risk drinking is widely supported, so choosing to drink less feels normal and achievable.
A shared opportunity
No single organisation can shape drinking culture alone. That’s why our strategy has been developed through extensive engagement with partners and stakeholders. Bringing together these diverse perspectives has been essential, not only to reflect the complexity of the issue, but to build a shared understanding of where change is needed and where it is possible.
By the end of 2030, our shared ambition is to see two million fewer risky drinkers across the UK.
Drinkaware’s unique role gives us confidence in that shared ambition, and in our ability to build on the positive progress already underway, through collective action across industry, government and society.
By reinforcing moderation as the norm, providing practical support, and working alongside partners across society, we can help create a future where lower-risk choices feel normal and achievable for more people.
You can read and share Drinkaware’s new five-year strategy