THOUSANDS of Australians say they are giving up the grog this year, according to new research.

The Finder survey of 1,085 respondents revealed two percent of Australians, equivalent to over 400,000 people, plan to stop drinking alcohol in 2023.

More than half of those are millennials (237,662 people) – with those aged 25-40 most inclined to ditch the booze.

Doing the sums, that means the average Aussie could save over $1,971 a year by abstaining from alcohol, roughly $38 a week.

Rebecca Pike, money expert at Finder, said there was a growing number of ‘sober curious’ Aussies.

“Drinking excessively can lead to health problems, as well as increasing the risk of alcohol related injury.”

With more people realising when they don’t drink alcohol they remember more, cause less chaos, don’t lose their wages in one hit and no-longer experience a host of alcohol-related health problems, organisations are coming up with supportive alcohol-free opportunities such as Dry July, Sober October and Dry January to kick off the year.

“Dry January, or the practice of abstaining from alcohol during the first month of the year, has gained popularity as a potential way to overhaul one’s relationship with alcohol,” said Rebecca.

“Even if you missed out on the start of Dry January, it’s never too late to kickstart your journey into not drinking.

“Many plan to keep it going all year long which would be a win for health and hip pockets.”

Consumption of zero percent alcohol beverages is also on the rise, with bottle shops and venues stocking a growing range, and many mainstream brands releasing no-alcohol versions of their popular beer, wines and spirits.

Market research from Mordor Intelligence estimates that the global non-alcoholic beer market is estimated to be worth around $25 billion by 2025.

Pike said drinking was a huge part of Australian culture.

“Alcohol often plays a central role in social gatherings and events, making it difficult for those who choose not to drink to feel included.

“It’s great that people don’t have to feel like they are being excluded by choosing not to drink,” Pike said.

Millions of Aussies have a toxic relationship with alcohol, especially those born here*.

In the past financial year, one in four Australians older than eighteen exceeded the Australian Adult Alcohol Guideline in 2020-21 (25.8 percent), according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Those born in Australia were almost twice as likely as those born overseas to exceed the guideline (30 percent compared to 17.3 percent).

Finder’s research found more men (three percent) plan to quit drinking than women this year (one percent).

The Australian guidelines for adults for low-risk alcohol consumption recommends that adults should drink no more than two standard drinks on any day to reduce the lifetime risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury.

The guidelines also recommend that adults should drink no more than four standard drinks on a single occasion to reduce the risk of alcohol-related injury arising from that occasion.

For information on Alcoholics Anonymous meetings near you visit https://meetings.aa.org.au/.

By Andrea FERRARI