Official drinking guidelines are issued by governments and public health entities to advise on levels of alcohol consumption considered 'safe', 'responsible,' or 'low risk'. They do not apply to those under the legal drinking age or to pregnant women. Those on medication or with a history of illness should consult their general practitioner or specific advice.
It is difficult to lay down strict guidelines as to what constitutes 'moderate consumption' - it will depend on your age, size, sex and health, how and when you consume alcohol, as both the speed of consumption and whether you're eating will effect how alcohol is absorbed by the body.
Men: 3-4 units per day
Guidelines are daily rather than weekly, as you should not 'save up' units and drink heavily at the weekends. This has become known as binge drinking. Binge drinking over one or two nights a week can lead to health problems and anti-social behaviour.
Women: 2-3 units per day
Although drinking should be for pleasure rather than for any health benefit, there is consistent medical evidence to show that light to moderate consumption of alcohol may be beneficial to health, especially for men over 40 and post-menopausal women, where the risk of heart attack is higher. Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in the UK, accounting for 4 in every 10 deaths. Almost 2.6 million people are affected by heart and circulatory conditions in the UK, with someone having a heart attack every 2 seconds.
Alcohol has a blood thinning effect that helps prevents the build up of blood clots and bad LDL cholesterol. The 'blood thinning effect of alcohol lasts for approximately 24 hours, hence the message is to drink little and often. One drink a day is enough to confer the benefit.
Unit Calculator
Wine (av)
125ml (small glass)
175ml (standard glass)
2.1 units
12%
1.5 units
1.75 units
2.45 units
14%
Beer (abv)
Half Pint
330ml bottle
Pint
2.2
4%
1.1
5%
1.4
1.7
2.8
Spirits (abv)
25ml (single)
50ml (double)
40%
1 unit
2 units
Why not try the UNIT CALCULATOR to see how many units your favourite drinks contain?
Find out more about how alcohol can effect you from our
'Alcohol and You' answers your most frequently asked questions about alcohol. For a copy, please send a SAE A5 envelope to: AIM, PO Box 2282, Bath, BA1 7QU or click here to download the pdf
Links
What does sensible drinking mean?
Sensible drinking means drinking enjoyably, sociably and responsibly. It includes not drinking at all in situations when the effects of alcohol will put someone's safety or health at risk.
It also means being aware of the risks to young people of drinking alcohol and setting an example of moderation.
Pliny the Elder
'Nothing is more useful than wine for strengthening the body and also more detrimental to our pleasure if moderation be lacking'
Dr Thomas Stuttaford
"Nine out of ten people in Britain drink alcohol regularly, if in some cases only occassionally. In moderate quantities even a daily drink is likely to improve,rather than damage, health and to increase someone's expected lifespan. The list of diseases and conditions that benefit from small quantities of alcohol is suprising and the number of those in which alcohol is forbidden is remarkably low".
