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New SARG study finds young people are three times more likely to start with alcohol than no/lo alternatives

Two teenagers and their Dad sit watching football in a living room. There are drinks and snacks in the room.

New research from the Sheffield Addictions Research Group (SARG) and University College London (UCL) has found that young people aged 16-25 in Great Britain are three times more likely to start drinking alcohol than alcohol-free and low-alcohol (no/lo) alternatives.

The study shows that 62% of young people started with alcohol compared to 17% who started with no/lo drinks, while less than one in five (18%) have never tried either.

Funded by Alcohol Change UK, this is the first study in the UK to explore the role of no/lo products – such as alcohol-free or low-alcohol spirits, beers, and wines – in young people's lives. It comes as sales of no/lo drinks have more than doubled since 2020, soaring to £362 million in 2023.

The project builds upon SARG's wider research programme investigating the public health implications of no/lo drinks, and earlier work looking into the decline in alcohol consumption among young people.

Study methodology

Using new and existing survey data from 5890 adults and 3652 young people aged 16-25, the project explored adults' attitudes toward adolescent consumption of no/los, alongside young people's patterns, motivations, and experiences of consuming alcohol and no/lo drinks. Researchers also explored the topic with families through a series of interviews with primary carers and young people – both on a one-to-one basis and together.

Key findings

  • Views on no/lo acceptability are mixed – more than a third of adults surveyed in Great Britain view use of no/lo drinks among 13-17-year-olds as broadly acceptable – at 46% for zero-alcohol drinks and 31% for low-alcohol drinks up to 1.2% ABV – and even more acceptable in family settings at 64% and 56% respectively.
  • No/lo drinks are seen as 'for adults' – young people and parents/carers largely view no/lo products as for adults choosing not to drink and less relevant to adolescents. Even in family settings, where no/lo drinks were seen as more acceptable, their use is uncommon.
  • Teens opt for alcohol or soft drinks over no/lo drinks – among young people, no/lo drinks are seen as a poor substitute, as a primary purpose of drinking alcohol is at least mild intoxication. Even in family settings, most adolescents would prefer to drink either a standard alcoholic drink, or a traditional soft drink – suggesting limited appeal of no/lo alternatives.
  • No evidence of a 'gateway' effect – while concerns have been raised that no/lo drinks may lead to a 'gateway' effect, whereby drinking no/lo drinks reduced the age at which young people first consumed alcohol or impacted how much alcohol they drank, this study found no evidence of this in the context of Great Britain.
  • Parental roles reflect alcohol's normalisation – in many family settings, alcohol is already an established cultural default. While adolescent no/lo use was seen as broadly acceptable, most primary carers interviewed thought it was acceptable for young people to drink some alcohol within the family home, with some believing it is their responsibility to introduce their adolescent children to alcohol. This is despite strong evidence that an alcohol-free childhood is the safest option.

Implications for public health

The findings suggest that while the no/lo market is expanding rapidly among adults, it has not yet fundamentally shifted the drinking habits of young people.

Dr Laura Fenton, SARG Research Fellow and project co-lead, said:

"It was clear from the interviews we conducted with parents and their adolescent children that no/lo drinks were seen as drinks for adults who are avoiding alcohol. While most parents did not have an issue with their child trying no/lo drinks, they thought they were unlikely to choose them over either alcoholic or soft drinks. Most of the adolescents we spoke to who drink alcohol believed they would be unlikely to choose no/lo drinks over alcoholic drinks when they were socialising with friends."

Dr Melissa Oldham, Principal Research Fellow at University College London and project co-lead added:

"The impact of no/lo drinks on public health, if there is any impact at all, depends on whether they reduce or increase alcohol consumption across the population. It is unclear whether no/los will have positive, negative, or no impact on young people's alcohol consumption. Some public health researchers and parents worry that no/lo drinks might introduce children and young people to the taste, rituals and branding associated with alcohol at younger ages, which could be a gateway to increased alcohol consumption in the longer term.

"Our findings show no clear evidence that drinking no/lo drinks is associated with adolescents starting to drink earlier or drinking more in the longer term. However, there is also no evidence they are having a positive impact on delaying age of initiation of alcohol or reducing alcohol consumed among young people either. Currently no/lo use among young people is pretty uncommon and most young people have an alcoholic drink before a no/lo drink. It will be important to continue monitoring this as the no/lo market continues to grow and expand."

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