The majority were happy with the amount they drank

Christmas is a boozy time for most Britons, with people getting into the festive spirit with the help of spirits. So it’s unsurprising that new YouGov research finds that half (52%) of drinkers say they drank more alcohol than usual over the Christmas period.

While the large majority of drinkers (72%) say that they were happy with the amount of alcohol they drank, one in six (17%) say that they would have preferred to have drunk less than they did.

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One in eleven Britons say they planned to do ‘Dry January’ this year

Our research also found that one in eleven (9%) Britons say they had planned to do ‘Dry January’ this year. When looking specifically at those who would have preferred to have drunk less over the Christmas period, this rises to one in six (17%).

Health and weight loss are the most common reasons for abstaining from alcohol for a month, with around half (54%) saying they are taking part to improve their physical health (e.g. fitness, reduce risk of heart disease) and a similar proportion citing cutting down on calories or losing weight (52%). Cutting down on alcohol in general is mentioned by a similar proportion (49%), followed by wanting to have a break after the Christmas period (36%).

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How many will last until the end of the month?

However, we know from previous years that as many as half of those who attempt to forego alcohol for the first month of the year fail.

This year, just five days into January when this research was conducted, one in five of those who had initially planned to do ‘Dry January’ had already failed – either having had a slip but still trying to cut back (17%) or abandoning it entirely (4%).

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Stay tuned to see how many people stick it out until the end of the month…

See the full results here

Photo: Getty