Warning deals that offer free bottomless brunch top-ups encourage bingeing

August 2, 2016

Middle-class drinkers put their health at risk with ‘bottomless brunches’
Unlimited Prosecco, Bloody Mary or Cava is served with late a breakfast
But experts warn it is encouraging people to drink as much as possible

Ben Spencer for the Daily Mail

Published:
18:03 EST, 1 August 2016

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Updated:
18:09 EST, 1 August 2016

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Middle-class drinkers are putting their health at risk by attending trendy ‘bottomless brunches’ where unlimited alcohol is served, a leading expert has warned.

Working professionals are increasingly spending their weekend mornings taking advantage of deals in which unlimited Prosecco, Bloody Mary or Cava is served with a late breakfast.

Dr Omair Ahmed, consultant psychiatrist at Priory’s Wellbeing Centre in Birmingham, said the trend is encouraging binge drinking and fuelling drink-driving.

Middle-class drinkers are putting their health at risk by attending trendy ‘bottomless brunches’, an expert has warned (file photo)

The bottomless brunch is already an institution in US cities, but is becoming increasingly popular in restaurants and pubs in Britain.

They tend to offer a meal with unlimited drink top-ups within a set time frame – often two hours.

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Dr Ahmed said that this simply encourages people to drink as much as possible within a short period.

‘In our cities, we are being bombarded with messages about wine or are being invited to take part in events like a ‘Bottomless Brunch’, but there is no mention of the other, very real side of alcohol consumption for drinkers,’ he said.

The bottomless brunch is already an institution in US cities, but is becoming increasingly popular in restaurants and pubs in Britain

‘Brunch is one of those meals that people think justifies alcohol before midday. It is inextricably tied to the drinking culture.

‘And restaurant brunches are communal experiences which appeal very much to working professionals.

‘In busy cities, sometimes the weekend mornings are the only time groups of friends can manage to get together.

The deals tend to offer a meal with unlimited drink top-ups within a set time frame

‘Customers “upgrade” their brunch to “bottomless”, which unlocks a world of unlimited drinks to accompany your meal. Many of the cocktails are rum-based.’

Dame Sally Davies, England’s chief medical officer, published new guidelines in January suggesting that men and women drink no more than 14 units a week –the equivalent of about six pints of beer or six glasses of wine.

A typical bottle of Prosecco contains more than eight alcohol units, and there are often several measures of spirits in cocktails even if they do not taste particularly strong.

Last year the Age UK charity warned that heavy drinking has become a ‘middle class phenomenon’, with affluent people more likely to drink to harmful level.

Official statistics compiled by the Health and Care Social Information Centre show that one in five of those who earn £40,000 a year or more drink alcohol at least five days a week.

UK household spending on alcohol nearly doubled to £17.2billion in 2015, from £8.9 billion in 1985.

The last decade has seen a 117 per cent rise in alcoholic liver disease admissions in England amongst the under 30 age group, rising to 400 per cent in the north east of England, according to Alcohol Concern.

Liver disease is one of the few major causes of premature mortality on the rise.

Dr Ahmed said the alcohol industry was constantly finding new ways of marketing itself to consumers – and brunches were its latest ploy.

One in five women graduates regularly drink ‘hazardously’ compared with one in ten for those with lower levels of education. Hazardous is defined as consuming at least twice the safe limit of 14 units a week.

The NHS estimates that around 9 per cent of adult men in the UK and 4 per cent of adult women show signs of alcohol dependence.