49% of UK adults will be celebrating this weekend

Nearly half (49%) of UK adults say they will be celebrating the Coronation this weekend, downing an average of 8.8 alcoholic drinks each.

That’s an estimated 290 million small glasses of wine or 145 million pints of beer across the country.

Almost 30% of those celebrating say they will consume more than 11 units of alcohol, and nearly one in ten men will have more than 20 drinks, according to a poll of 2,000 adults by breathalyser firm AlcoSense.

Nearly a quarter (23%) will carry on drinking after 11pm. 

“Of particular concern is that 38% of those joining in the celebrations say they will be driving to visit friends or relatives the next day, running the risk of not being clear of alcohol in the morning,” warns Hunter Abbott, MD of AlcoSense. 

“If you drink four pints of medium-strength beer or four large glasses of wine, it can take up to 12 hours to completely remove alcohol from your system. 

“Just a small amount of alcohol slows your reaction time, inhibits judgment and reduces both concentration and co-ordination – increasing the likelihood of an accident”. 

Home Office data shows that in May 2021 (the most recent year available), nearly one in five drivers (19%) stopped by Police were over the limit. 

Government figures estimate that 6,480 people are killed or injured in drink drive accidents, with drunk drivers accounting for 15% of road deaths every year.

Twice as many people living in inner cities (32%) told the AlcoSense poll they would consume more than 11 alcoholic drinks, compared with those in rural areas (16%).  Nearly a third of city dwellers would carry on drinking after 11pm, whereas just 13% in the countryside would do so.

Respondents aged 25-34 were more than twice as likely to have in excess of 20 drinks over the weekend than any other age group. 

Residents of Northern Ireland are most likely to celebrate the Coronation (64%) – with Scots the least likely (36%).