Segmenting Increasing- and High-Risk Alcohol Drinkers by Motives and Occasions: Implications for Targeted...

Excess alcohol consumption remains a major challenge for public health in the UK. This study aimed to define and characterise clusters of increasing- and high-risk drinkers, based on drinking motives and occasions and contextualised by demographics and psychosocial factors, to inform tailored harm-reduction strategies.

Secondary analysis of the nationally representative Drinkaware Monitor 2023 survey (n = 10,473) identified six clusters of increasing- and high-risk drinkers (n = 2486 weighted). Segmentation was based on drinking occasions and drinking motives using the Drinking Motives Questionnaire for Adults (DMQ-A). Clusters were then characterised using demographic factors, drinking patterns, and psychosocial indicators (dependency symptoms, loneliness, and risk perception), with weighted two-proportion z-tests and false discovery rate correction applied.

Six distinct subgroups emerged. Cluster 1 consisted of older drinkers (55+) motivated by product and taste, with fewer dependency symptoms and lower loneliness. Cluster 2 showed lower social motives but greater likelihood of drinking alone at home and with meals. Cluster 3, younger and more diverse, displayed very high social and identity motives (e.g., drinking to feel confident), alongside elevated loneliness and dependency indicators. Cluster 4 also presented strong social motives but had fewer product and taste motives and more adverse outcomes. Cluster 5, typically older and C2DE, reported higher coping motives (e.g., drinking to unwind) and more solitary drinking. Cluster 6 had consistently lower motives, a narrower range of drinking occasions, and a mixed dependency profile.

Increasing- and high-risk drinkers are heterogeneous, shaped by different motives and contexts. Tailoring interventions to subgroup profiles, such as socially motivated younger adults and older adults whose drinking is driven by coping motives, may strengthen alcohol harm-reduction strategies.