Alcohol and Sensible Drinking

What are the recommended safe limits of alcohol drinking?

• Men should drink no more than 21 units of alcohol per week (and no more than four units in any one day).
• Women should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol per week (and no more than three units in any one day).
• Pregnant women. If you have one or two drinks of alcohol (one or two units), once or twice a week, it is unlikely to harm your unborn baby. However, the exact amount that is safe is not known. Therefore, many women have little or no alcohol when they are pregnant.

One unit of alcohol is 10 ml (1 cl) by volume, or 8 g by weight, of pure alcohol. For example:

• One unit of alcohol is about equal to:
  • Half a pint of ordinary strength beer, lager, or cider (3–4% alcohol by volume), or
  • A small pub measure (25 ml) of spirits (40% alcohol by volume), or
  • A standard pub measure (50 ml) of fortified wine such as sherry or port (20% alcohol by volume).
• There are one and a half units of alcohol in:
  • A small glass (125 ml) of ordinary strength wine (12% alcohol by volume), or
  • A standard pub measure (35 ml) of spirits (40% alcohol by volume).

A more accurate way of calculating units is as follows. The percentage alcohol by volume (%abv) of any drink equals the number of units in one litre of that drink. For example:

• Strong beer at 6% abv has six units in one litre. If you drink half a litre (500 ml) - just under a pint - then you have had three units.
• Wine at 12% abv has 12 units in one litre. If you drink a quarter of a litre (250 ml) - two small glasses, then you have had three units.

For men over 40 and for women past the menopause, drinking a small amount of alcohol (1-2 units per day) helps to protect against heart disease and stroke.

When asked "How much do you drink?" many people give a much lower figure than the true amount. It is not that people lie, but it is easy to not realise your true alcohol intake. To give an honest answer to this question, try making a drinking diary for a couple of weeks or so. Jot down every drink that you have. Remember, it is a pub measure of spirits that equals one unit. A home measure if often a generous double.

If you are drinking more than the safe limits, you should aim to cut down your drinking.

If you drink heavily you have an increased risk of developing:

• Hepatitis (inflammation of the liver).
• Cirrhosis (scarring of the liver). Up to 3 in 10 long-term heavy drinkers develop cirrhosis.
• Stomach disorders.
• Pancreatitis (severe inflammation of the pancreas).
• Mental health problems including depression, anxiety, and various other problems.
• Sexual difficulties such as impotence.
• Muscle and heart muscle disease.
• High blood pressure.
• Damage to nervous tissue.
• Accidents - drinking alcohol is associated with a much increased risk of accidents. In particular, injury and death from fire and car crashes. About 1 in 7 road deaths are caused by drinking alcohol.
• Some cancers (mouth, gullet, liver, colon and breast).
• Obesity (alcohol has many calories).
• Damage to an unborn baby in pregnant women.
• Alcohol dependence (addiction).

The severity of dependence can vary. It can develop gradually and become more severe. You may be developing alcohol dependence if you:

• need a drink every day.
• drink alone often.
• need a drink to stop trembling (the shakes).
• drink early, or first thing in the morning (to avoid withdrawal symptoms).
• often have a strong desire to drink alcohol.
• spend a lot of you time in activities where alcohol is available. For example, if you spend a lot of time at the social club or pub.
• neglect other interests or pleasures because of alcohol drinking.

Heavy alcohol drinking in one person often seriously damages others. Many families have become severely affected by one member becoming a problem drinker. Emotional and financial problems often occur in such families. It is estimated that 3 in 10 divorces, 4 in 10 cases of domestic violence, and 2 in 10 cases of child abuse are alcohol related. Often the problem drinker denies or refuses to accept that the root cause is alcohol.

"Coffee will sober me up"
Caffeine in coffee is a stimulant so you might feel more alert, but it does not make you sober.

"I'll be fine in the morning"
Alcohol is broken down by the liver. A healthy liver can get rid of about one unit of alcohol an hour. Sleep will not speed up the rate at which the liver works. Just because you have a nights sleep does not necessarily mean you will be sober in the morning. It depends on how much you drank the night before.

"Alcohol keeps me alert"
Alcohol can make you think that you are more alert, but it actually has a depressant effect which slows down your reflexes.

"Beer will make me less drunk than spirits"
Half a pint of beer contains the same amount of alcohol as a single measure of spirits.

"I'll be fine if I drink plenty of water before I go to bed"
This can reduce hangover symptoms by helping to prevent dehydration. But it wont make you any less drunk, or protect your liver or other organs from the damaging effect of alcohol.

Tackling the problem of heavy drinking

Once they know the facts, many people can quite easily revert back to sensible drinking if they are drinking above the safe limits. If you are trying to cut down, some tips which may help include:

• consider drinking low alcohol beers, or at least do not drink 'strong' beers or lagers.
• try pacing the rate of drinking. Perhaps alternate soft drinks with alcoholic drinks.
• if you eat when you drink, you may drink less.
• it may be worth reviewing your entire social routine. For example, consider:
  • cutting back on types of social activity which involve drinking.
  • trying different social activities where drinking is not a part.
  • reduce the number of days in the week where you go out to drink.
  • going out to the pub or club later in the evening.
• try to resist any pressure from people who may encourage you to drink more than you really want to.