Middle aged drinking? Who can blame us?
For all the talk of young binge drinkers it transpires that the middle aged drink rather more. But at least we spread out our drinking over the week and do so in the privacy of our homes – rather than 'hitting' town centres on a Friday night, which is the preference of rowdy youngsters.
The young do drink heavily during such binges. But according to a new report the middle aged end up with higher consumption overall because of greater frequency.
Just the one? 'Stress drinking' is on the rise and a cause for concern with the advent of stronger wines on the market
Market research analysts Mintel say 40 per cent of those aged 45 to 64 are drinking on between three and seven days a week – nearly twice the level for 18 to 24-year-olds.
So why are the middle-aged drinking more? Drinks tend to be stronger these days - for instance some of the New World wines, from Chile or Australia, are sometimes 50 per cent stronger than the ones from France. The smoking ban in pubs has caused more to drink from home - often drinking more as it is cheaper and easier. Bulk deliveries via the internet tend to mean we have ample supplies - rather than running out and having our drinking checked by the inconvenience of trudging off to the local off-licence.
As a 43-year-old I appear to count as neither middle aged nor young in market research terms. But I'm afraid I am much closer to the former than the latter both in age and alcohol consumption - a couple in their late 20s came round to dinner this week and brought a bottle of wine but insisted on drinking apple juice themselves.
'Stress drinking' has been given as one explanation - especially in these tough economic times of career uncertainty.
I suspect that a contributory factor is having children later. You certainly don't want to be drunk in charge of a toddler. Still, I sometimes feel I'm a better father - more patient, calmer, better humoured - for having had a glass of wine in the early evening - before the challenging cycle of supper time, bath time, bed time stories and prayers.
It is true that many of us drink more than we should in terms of our health, although some experts regard the NHS' recommended weekly maximum of 14 units of alcohol for a woman and 21 for a man as unreasonably low given that wine drinking bring health benefits as well as disadvantages.
Moderate drinking is good for you - but there is an argument as to what constitutes moderate.
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So what should be done? Certainly it is advisable to know that some glasses of wine are stronger than others and to take that into account. Those who are alcoholics should be given more help to break their addiction - not just for their sake but for society as a whole.
Binge drinking is a growing problem not just for the health of the drinkers but for the rest of us who are woken by the noise and are left with the bill for clearing up the vomit and broken glass the next morning.
I suspect tougher policing and court penalties would be a more effective answer than attempts to restrict the availability of alcohol. Flexible opening hours actually makes binge drinking less likely as there isn't the pressure to get tanked up before closing time. Similarly in Australia hiking the tax on alcopops had the counterproductive result of youngsters switching to spirits.
But when it comes to middle England having a gin and tonic in the sitting room before supper each evening they really should be allowed to enjoy it.
It is possible they may not live as long but that is a responsibility for them.
Furthermore they may well find that the time they have on this Earth is more agreeable - not just for them but for their families.
