New data reveals that more and more Britons are now teetotal, with one in five adults not drinking alcohol at all.
The biggest group responsible for the changing habits were young adults, with the number of 16-24 year olds describing themselves as teetotal up by over 40 per cent since 2005.
The report, published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), noted there was “little or no change” in the drinking habits of older groups.
The number of adults who described themselves as teetotal increased from 19 per cent in 2005 to 21 per cent in 2013.
Teetotalism increased among both men and women, but remained more common among women.
The report found that drinkers living in the north of England and in Scotland were most likely to have binged in the week before the interview.
The government defines binge drinkers as men who exceed more than eight units of alcohol on their heaviest drinking day in the week before interview, and women who exceed more than six units.
NHS guidelines suggest that men should not regularly exceed three to four units of alcohol per day and that women should not regularly exceed two to three units per day.
Around a third of drinkers in northern England and Scotland had binged, compared with less than a quarter for other parts of Great Britain.
The proportion of adults in London who described themselves as teetotal was 32 per cent, far higher than any other region. Adults in the West Midlands were also more likely to be teetotal.
ONS said it was “difficult to explain these regional differences with any particular factor”.
The proportion of young adults who drank frequently (five or more days a week) has fallen by more than two-thirds since 2005. Only one in 50 young adults drank alcohol frequently in 2013.
The report states that alcohol misuse is a leading cause of ill-health in Great Britain. It can contribute to a number of serious health conditions, including cancer, liver disease and heart disease.
The ONS estimates that in 2013, just over 7,000 deaths registered in England and Wales were alcohol-related.
The cost to the NHS of alcohol misuse is estimated to be £3.5 billion per year.