Alcohol Consumption Declines in the UK as More Britons Embrace Alcohol-Free Ways of Life
New survey highlights shifting alcohol norms, with younger generations leading the way
A significant shift in alcohol consumption patterns is taking place in the United Kingdom, as more people are choosing to live alcohol-free. A new survey of over 2,000 adults reveals that nearly half (43%) of young people aged 18 to 34 and one in three (32%) middle-aged Britons are going alcohol-free entirely.
In addition, more than half of both age groups have reduced their alcohol use, signaling a major transformation of the alcohol norm in the country.
The findings confirm that people in the UK are increasingly rethinking the role alcohol should play in their lives and communities – and replace the alcohol norm with healthier and more inclusive social norms in the process.
Nearly half of adults under 55 now consume alcohol only on special occasions. However, older generations remain more resistant to this change, with only a quarter of those aged 55 and above having quit alcohol, and two in five having reduced their consumption.
The new survey was commissioned by Ocado Retail.
Health consciousness drives decisions to go alcohol-free
Health is the primary motivation for those who decide to change the role alcohol plays in their lives and reduce or quit alcohol use. Many people in the UK are reporting that alcohol negatively impacts their physical and mental well-being as well as their sleep quality. Another key driver is the desire to lose weight.
The rise in alcohol-free living among younger generations is also linked to demographic changes, including a growing Muslim population. According to the Office for National Statistics, of the 3.9 million Muslims in Britain, 85% are under the age of 50. The average age of Muslims in the UK is 27, compared with 40 for the overall population.
Social media boosts alcohol-free movement
Another factor contributing to the positive developments of social norms becoming healthier and more inclusive is the increasing presence of alcohol-free influencers on social media.
The Times reports about Abi Feltham as one example. She shares her alcohol-free journey with over 100,000 followers on Instagram and 60,000 on TikTok.
In this way Ms Feltham is inspiring people to rethink the role alcohol plays in their lives and to embrace the benefits of going alcohol-free. Ms Feltham’s posts encourage people to persist in their alcohol-free lifestyles, emphasizing that the journey is “so incredibly worth it.”
In the UK, an entire infrastructure has developed and grown around going alcohol-free, being sober curious, and redefining the role alcohol should play in people’s lives, communities, and society at large. For example, the blog The Sober Curator presents some of the biggest sober influencers in the country.
In addition to Ms Feltham, there are also Issy Hawkins, Annie Davies, and Siôn Meirion, The Sober Gay.
In 2023, Imy Brighty-Potts of The Independent spoke with three sober influencers on how going booze-free changed their lives:
- Millie Gooch, founder of The Sober Girl Society, who Movendi International has worked with before (milliegooch),
- Michael Sargood, founder of Sober Socials (happywithoutthehooch), and
- Lauren Amy White, ambassador for Alcohol Change UK (iamlaurenwhite).
In the interview, Ms White explained what going alcohol-free has meant for her and what the appeal is behind the growing trend:
Getting sober has changed my life so much that I can actually look in the mirror and tell myself I love myself.
It’s given me this element of growth and [I’m] the best version of myself I can be. Sobriety is not just about alcohol. It’s about giving yourself the best possible chance to be truly happy and connect with who you are.
Lauren Amy White, ambassador for Recoverlution
Dry January reaches record participation, alcohol sales decline
The shift away from alcohol is reflected in the record participation in Dry January.
Alcohol Change UK, the civil society organization running the Dry January challenge, reports that 4,000 people took part in the first Dry January in 2013. In 2024, more than 215,000 people participated in Dry January through the Alcohol Change UK community.
Data from Alcohol Change UK about the general participation are even more impressive: almost 9 million people in the UK participated in Dry January in 2023. This meant an increase from the estimated 8 million UK adults who did the alcohol-free challenge in January 2022.
And for 2025, research from Alcohol Change UK indicated that 15.5 million people in the UK were planning to go alcohol-free this month.
Younger people are the most likely to participate, while older generations remain less engaged in the month-long challenge.
The alcohol norm is being replaced and it is impacting alcohol industry sales, as per The Times reporting. Alcohol sales volume in the UK declined by nearly 10% between 2019 and 2023, according to market research firm Mintel. Revenue from alcohol duty is also on track to drop by 5% this year, based on data from HM Revenue & Customs.
Higher alcohol taxes on wine are also contributing to this decline and boost the broader trend of falling alcohol consumption nationwide.
Surging demand for alcohol-free alternatives
As alcohol use declines, sales of alcohol-free beverages are rising. Industry data from IWSR shows that in 2024, no-alcohol beer sales surged by 20%, now accounting for one in every 50 pints sold.
Sales of no-alcohol spirits and wine also increased, by 7% and 8%, respectively.
Supermarket data confirms that people are following their alcohol-free preferences all year round. It is not just a seasonal phenomenon.
Ocado, which commissioned the survey, reports that sales of alcohol-free products have increased by 25% in the past six months. Specific products such as Thatchers Zero, an alcohol-free cider, saw sales grow by 90%, while sales of Tanqueray’s alcohol-free spirit increased by 32%.
As per The Times reporting, Ocado Retail’s Shauna Clark Fitzpatrick highlights the growing demand for alcohol-free options:
Consumers of all ages are becoming more mindful of their [alcohol use] habits, some prompted by Dry January and others by longer-term lifestyle considerations throughout the year.”
Shauna Clark Fitzpatrick, Ocado Retail
A fundamental shift in alcohol norms
The survey underscores a fundamental shift in how people in the UK view the role of alcohol. More people are recognizing its harms and taking intentional decisions about the role of alcohol in their lives – reducing or removing it from their lives.
The decline in alcohol sales, coupled with the growth of the alcohol-free trend, signals a positive public health trend that policymakers and public health advocates have an opportunity to encourage and harness.
With health, social media advocacy, and changing demographics driving this transformation, the UK’s outdated, harmful alcohol norm is being replaced with more inclusive and health-conscious social norms.