Beer or wine? Mixed or straight? Drink or drive? We asked 621 men and 911 women to describe their drinking habits. Here’s what you said

87.9% of men drink alcohol
Of those who don’t:
43.8% cite health reasons
35.5% cite religious reasons
25.6% don’t like the taste

83.2% of women drink alcohol
Of those who don’t:
35.7% cite health reasons
19.0% cite religious reasons
32.7% don’t like the taste

59.9% of men and 51.8% of women have a drink during the week
… and 13.7% of men (but just 3.7% of women) usually have a big drinking night during the week

HOW MUCH YOU DRINK IN A TYPICAL WEEK
Nothing Men 12.1% Women 18.1%
Less than 7 drinks Men 40.6% Women 59.9%
7 to 14 drinks Men 27.7% Women 16.9%
14 to 21 drinks Men 12.4% Women 3.1%
21+ drinks Men 6.3% Women 1.3%

YOUR TOP FOUR DRINKS:
MEN:
1. Beer 55.9%
2. Spirits 52.5%
3. Wine 46.7%
4. Shooters 30.1%

WOMEN:
1. Wine 65.9%
2. Cider 37.4%
3. Cocktails 36.2%
4. Spirits 27.8%

7 out of 10 men drink shooters
5 when it’s time to celebrate
2 when someone else is buying

35.6% of men and 47.4% of women never mix their drinks
But of those who do…
37.0% of men prefer mixing beer/cider and spirits
11.4% of women prefer mixing cocktails and wine

35.1% of men smoke (…and 8.2% only smoke when they drink)
30.5% of women smoke (…and 6.0% only smoke when they drink)

Water*
The top hangover cure, according to both men (72.9%) and women (66.8%)
*Alternatives include a greasy breakfast (31.4% of men), popping a pill (20.1% of men), taking a swim or a cold shower (17.4% of men)… or just drinking some more (6.6% of men)

74.2%
Percentage of men who know someone who has been involved in a drinking and driving accident, or whose health has been affected by alcohol
32.5% Percentage of men who insist they will never drink and drive.
38.5% Percentage of men who say they’ll sometimes drink and drive, when they feel that they’re in control.
16.4% Percentage of men who rely on a designated driver.

7.6% of men say they’ve never been drunk.
… but 12.1% got drunk for the first time before they’d turned 15

61.9% of men say they’ve temporarily given up drinking at some point. Of those…
39% did it to improve their health
22% did it to lose weight
11% did it because they were drinking too much
28% did it to go on a detox

WHEN MEN DRINK…
59.5% feel more confident
18% flirt with everybody
14% feel invincible
7% become aggressive
1.5% cry

79.2% of men don’t bother to count the kilojoules when they drink
31% of women do