London

Binge drinking

Binge drinking is defined by the Department of Health as ‘eight or more units of alcohol for men, and six or more units of alcohol for women,
on their heaviest drinking day in the past week’. This table shows that, in Wandsworth and Hammersmith & Fulham, one in five adults is a binge drinker. The boroughs with the lowest rates are those where cultural, religious and socio-economic factors play a part: Newham’s large Muslim population puts it top for obvious reasons.

As a whole, Londoners binge drink less often compared to the rest of England: 18 per cent of London men compared to 22 per cent nationally, and 6 per cent of London women compared to 10 per cent nationally. In February 2006, the London Alcohol Forum was launched to co-ordinate work across boroughs.
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Percentage of population reported by Primary Care Trust as binge drinkers

(Source: National Centre for Social Research, 2006: Percentage reporting binge drinking by Primary Care Trust)