Blame of binge drinking shifted on larger glasses

London, Jan 23 (UNI) They don't drink to celebrate a happy occasion, nor do they gulp down one peg after the other to force away depression.

Middle-class women are most at risk from over drinking because of the increasing trend towards larger wine glasses, official figures have revealed.

The survey found that up to a third of women were drinking beyond safe limits every week. The shocking stats also reveal the more you earn, the more you drink - with those in higher income groups consuming 30 per cent more alcohol than the working classes.

The report by the Office for National Statistics shows that those who thought they were sticking within safe limits were exceeding them and leaving themselves at higher risk of liver disease and certain types of cancer.

Under the old calculation system, a glass of wine was one unit.

Now it counted as two units and the change meant professionals were drinking up to 50 per cent more than the old figures showed.

Morover, the gap between men and women was reducing. The proportion of women drinking too much had leapt from a fifth to a third under the new calculations, while 40 per cent of men drank more than the guidelines.

Experts believe that actual consumption might be higher than the report suggests because of under-reporting by those questioned, fewer young people taking part in the ONS study, and previous underestimations of alcohol in wine.

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