Did you know you could be putting on 1½ stone every year just by drinking the recommended daily amount of alcohol??
We all know that drinking too much alcohol is bad for us, but what is the sensible amount to drink, with stronger drinks now on the market what is a ‘unit’ nowadays?
The UK Department of Health’s current advice on sensible drinking is:
- Men – up to 3-4 units per day, or 21 units a week
- Women – up to 2-3 units per day, or 14 units a week
Whether you track your drinking by units per day or units per week the current advice also states that you should also have two days a week free of alcohol. The limits are lower for women because women’s bodies have a higher fat to water ratio making them less able to dilute alcohol in the body and to process alcohol as effectively.
A unit is based not just on size but also on the alcoholic strength of the drink.
Today, we have much stronger wines and beers/lagers and we are served with larger glasses of wines and bigger shots so:
- The average pint of 5% ABV larger or cider is 2.8 units per pint
- The average pub wine is now 12% ABV and is served in a medium glass size (175ml) which is 2.1 units
- A large glass of wine size (250ml) at 12% ABV, is 3 units
- Measures of spirits are often sold in 35ml shots (rather than 25ml shot) are 1.5 units
Also, as a man, if you drink 3 pints of 5% larger/beer at a time you are officially binge drinking (drinking over the recommended daily limit)…. and as a woman if you have 2 large glasses of wine at a time you are officially binge drinking. Food for thought!!
For further information posters are available in the UK News download section together with a podcast.
Next week: Tips for Cutting down on alcohol consumption.
All information can also be found on Shift at: