Middle-aged drinkers are putting their health at risk by regularly reaching the recommended weekly alcohol limit on a single night out, according to new research.
The study suggests many Britons over the age of 35 are emulating the drinking habits of young people by having alcohol before and after visits to restaurants and pubs.
On average, older adults consume 14 units on such occasions - the equivalent of a bottle and a half of wine, experts at the University of Sheffield's Alcohol Research Group say.
Nearly a quarter of the 60,000 people questioned about their alcohol habits in the previous week had indulged in heavy drinking in more than one place on a single night, their study found.
As well as going to bars, the report showed many middle-aged Britons were drinking heavily while enjoying a get-together at the house of a friend or family member.
Senior research fellow Dr John Holmes said: "For those in middle age, it's probably not drinking before going out and tearing up the town, but it leads to them consuming the same amount as younger age groups, which obviously affects their health long-term if they're doing it regularly.
might be that you're going out to dinner with friends and you open up a bottle of wine before you go, or you go for Sunday lunch and then have a beer in the garden afterwards."
Their findings, published in the Addiction journal, even show that couples who tend to stay at home and drink on the weekend are having an average of 11.6 units each.
Overall, almost half of the 190,000 drinking sessions the group examined showed moderate consumption.
James Nicholls of Alcohol Research UK, which financed the study, added: "Rather than assuming society is neatly divided between 'binge', 'heavy' or 'moderate' drinkers we should think about the occasions on which people drink more or less heavily - and the fact we may be moderate in some contexts and less so in others."
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