Fears of binge drinking if Royal Navy alcohol crackdown pursued: 'It will exacerbate the problem!'

Under the updated policy, personnel will be limited to 14 units of alcohol per week, roughly equivalent to six pints of lager.

Official documents titled Alcohol Policy Onboard Ships reveal that drinking aboard vessels "remains a significant concern" for service leadership.

The papers indicate that 48 per cent of Navy personnel are estimated to consume alcohol excessively, though this represents a decline from 55 per cent in 2023.

"These figures highlight the critical need for stricter alcohol policies to safeguard personnel, enhance operational performance and mitigate risks to operational capacity," the documents state.

The measures replace the longstanding "two-can rule" observed across the Armed Forces, which permitted consumption equating to approximately 21 units weekly.

Now, the daily consumption will be capped at three units for all personnel, regardless of rank or seniority.

Ships must observe at least two alcohol-free days each week, during which vessels will be entirely dry.

Sailors will apparently also be required to complete forms at onboard bars documenting their drinks to ensure compliance with the limits.

Warship bars have also been instructed to stock zero and low-alcohol beverages to encourage healthier drinking habits among crew members.

The policy draws on recommendations from military medical advisers and aligns with UK Chief Medical Officer guidance, which since 2016 has advised both men and women not to exceed 14 units weekly.

However, Navy veteran Stuart Fawcett feared the policy could have an inverse effect, potentially enforcing worse habits outside of service hours.

He told GB News the rules change was not “necessarily going to positively influence a responsible drinking culture in my opinion”.

“I fear this shift may only exacerbate that ‘outlet binge drinking’ culture, which likely poses more harm to physical and mental health as well as service impact.

“What could be better served is addressing excessive drinking outside of service hours, when ships are not at sea and shifting cultural pressures on younger servicemen and women participate to a greater extent than they may do so otherwise.

“The military has always had a work hard, play hard culture, and it’s fair to say that alcohol has long formed a part of that.

“In the Royal Navy, it’s been around since sailors first ‘spliced the main brace’, an event where the utmost skill was needed to affix the mainsail to the mast of a warship, and rum was offered to the hands in appreciation.

“Compulsory alcohol consumption was abolished in the 1970s when the daily tot was discontinued."

While the former naval officer voiced his concerns, he also suggested the move was an “understandable policy shift to improve drinking culture in the Royal Navy, which in my experience needed addressing for the good of the service.”

Retired Rear Admiral Chris Parry was another who raised issues with the new policy, stating: "This is very sad and I'm a teetotaller. You have to trust your sailors and your leaders aboard ships to set the rules.

“I never had any problems in my career with crew members stepping out of line. You can screw down a system too much,” he told the Daily Mail.

“Sailors take great risks and make big sacrifices."

A Royal Navy spokesman said: "The updated policy aligns with advice, ensuring our people remain fit for naval operations.

"It also prioritises the health of our people and ensures they are ready to respond to the dynamic demands of naval operations."

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