In an attempt to tackle Britain's binge drinking habits - all alcoholic drinks will carry new health warnings and unit labelling by the end of the year.

But new research from MINTEL shows that these labels will get only a lukewarm reception, with men in particular considering them a waste of time.

Indeed, only two in five (40%) men think health warnings are a good idea, compared with half (49%) of women. Meanwhile, 36% of women believe that these labels will make them think about how much they drink, falling to just 30% amongst men.

"While recent press coverage has seen women come under attack for binge drinking, they are clearly more open to these new proposed labels," comments Mathilde Dudouit, senior research analyst at MINTEL. "For women at least, this new initiative could well be a step in the right direction to combat excessive drinking. Meanwhile, men clearly are much more set in their ways when it comes to what they drink, and it will be harder to convince them to change their habits."

MINTEL's research also finds that only two in five men (44%) would find it useful to know the number of units they are getting through, compared to over half of women (53%).

"The trend towards stronger drinks and larger glasses means that Brits can often no longer be sure how many units they are drinking. Without clear information, many people will be unaware whether they are exceeding their weekly alcohol intake, or whether they are still within the safe drink drive limits after an evening out," comments Mathlide.

The alcoholic drinks industry is huge, and is worth £41 billion. Last year we downed more than 7.7 billion litres of alcohol - that's a mind boggling 244 litres per second. And while there are those who are cutting back on alcohol as part of a healthier lifestyle, the amount we knock back as a nation has stayed the same over the past five years, showing that those who drink, are drinking more.