Survey: Nearly half of Chinese adults are excessive drinkers

Chinese people love to drink, but many are drinking to excess.

That's one of the findings of a survey conducted by the China Alcoholic Drinks Association, which found that 16 percent of Chinese adults drink alcohol every day, and a whopping 45 percent admit to drinking more than is recommended.

About 80,000 adults from 25 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions participated in the online survey which sought to shine a light on people's alcohol drinking habits, and their understanding of healthy drinking.

The China Disease Control and Prevention Center recommends the daily maximum for healthy drinking is equivalent to 25 grams of pure alcohol for males and 15 grams for females.

While the majority said they drink "no more than the maximum", the remaining all said they over-drink, with some admitting to "seriously over-drinking".

As high as 71 percent admitted that they had abused alcohol in the past four weeks.

The association teamed up with health authorities, government departments and the police to promote healthy drinking nationwide, and to alert the public to the dangers of minors drinking, drunk driving, and over-drinking.

It's going to be a big challenge, though, since many are unaware of healthy drinking limits and the prevalence of excessive drinking. On top of that, social pressure to drink remains high during banquets and other gatherings, the association concluded.