Would the fact that I started having occassional unit of alcohol invalidates my cover?

eldaniel

Hi Everyone, When I purchased my life insurance few years back I have declared that I never drink alcohol. Lately on one occassion GP asked me, if I drink alcohol and I said honestly that I started having like 1 beer a week on average. Now I have looked in my GP record and it says "occassional drinker". Would that invalidate my policy please? I would appreciate if someone could advise please. 

Sandtree

No, you have to answer the questions as was true at the time you took the policy out. Insurers will price for the fact that some people will take up drinking/smoking during the policy lifecycle just as some drinkers/smokers will give up.

To be honest if you are talking 2-3 units a week you're probably extending your life expectancy 

Aretnap

With life insurance there is generally no requirement to inform the insurer of changes to your health or circumstances after you've taken the policy out. You answer a series of questions about your health and lifestyle and the insurer makes a judgement on the risk of you dying in the next X years. That includes the risk that you'll suddenly be struck down by a bolt of lightening or a heart attack, but also the risk that your health will deteriorate gradually over the X years and you'll get diabetes or high blood pressure, the risk that you'll go from being slim to fat in your middle age, the risk that you'll have a mid-life crisis and take up sky-diving or bear-wrestling, and the risk that you'll take up smoking or drinking where previously you didn't. So long as you answered the questions truthfully at the time you took the policy out, none of those things will affect your cover.

The only possible complication would be if the insurer looks at your medical records and concludes that you didn't answer the questions truthfully at the time you took the policy out, ie if they give the impression that you've always been an occasional drinker rather that a teetotaller. Do they give an indication of when the note about occasional drinking was added, or that you were previously a non-drinker?

Weighty1

No, this would be fine.  Often insurers will ask if you've ever been asked to cut down or reduce your consumption of alcohol or attended a support service.  This is to weed out those non-drinkers who are recovering alcoholics which is a far greater risk overall.  If you ordinarily didn't drink but now drink a normal small amount it would cause no concern at all for an insurer.