Brits inform ‘booze untruths’ and infrequently lie about how a lot they drink
Millions of Brits lie to their doctors about their alcohol intake and have admitted to telling ‘booze untruths’ to downplay their drinking habits
Brits often tell ‘booze untruths’ about their drinking habits(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Millions of people are lying to their GP about how much alcohol they drink. Some 38% of British adults are telling ‘booze untruths’ and fibbing about their boozing on medical forms.
Two in five respondents downplay their drinking so they are not judged by medics. And 30% said they were simply too embarrassed to admit how much booze they consumed.
Some 27% make up how many units of alcohol they drink because they have no clue how many they are drinking. Nearly as many (26%) minimise the scale of their boozing because they want to appear “healthy” in front of medical professionals.
And more than a fifth (21%) worry their true alcohol consumption might go down on their medical records.
But more than three quarters of UK drinkers surveyed by Confused.com kept their drinking below the NHS recommended alcohol limit of 14 units per week.
A unit is 10ml or 8g of alcohol.
According to the NHS, a pint of strong lager contains three units of alcohol, while the same measure of lower strength lager contains around two units.
And just one in 10 Brits who responded to the comparison website’s survey drank more than 20 units per week.
Its life assurance expert Tom Vaughan said: “While people may think that lying about their alcohol intake on medical forms helps them to avoid a difficult conversation, in the end it’s far from being beneficial.
“Health professionals are there to help you, and being truthful about your alcohol consumption can save a lot of time and effort when it comes to diagnosing and treating problems that may be linked to it in some way.”
Mr Vaughan added: “For those who struggle with their alcohol intake, there are health services and charities that can help.
“The NHS also has its own programmes available and being honest with your GP about your consumption may be the first step in bringing it down.”
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.
