KNOW YOUR UNITS
In this section we will examine what ‘units’ of alcohol means. The Department of Health recommends ‘lower risk drinking’. This means how much alcohol you can drink without experiencing significant alcohol related harms. Many people who attend Harbour concerned about their drinking are unaware of the Department of Health’s guidelines.
Know your units
The Department of Health recommends no more than 14 units per week for both men and women. One unit is 10ml or 8g of pure alcohol. Because alcoholic drinks come in different strengths and sizes, units are a way to tell how strong your drink is.
Alcoholic drinks all display the number of units and ABV (alcohol by volume e.g. 5%). This indicates the strength of the alcohol and is a good way to identify if you are drinking more than is considered safe.
It is not recommended you save all your units for one day/night. Exceeding this level of drinking will contribute to health harms in the longer term.
Alcohol also contains a significant numbers of calories and can contribute to weight gain and poor appetite. Both of which add to health harms in the longer term.
Beer
A pint of beer (568ml), 4% ABV
Calories
1,092 calories: about the same as 6 slices of pizza
Maximum recommended per week (14 units per week)
6 pints
Wine
A small glass of wine (175ml), 13% ABV
Calories
954 calories: about the same as 6 ice creams
Maximum recommended per week (14 units per week)
6 glasses
Spirits
A shot of a spirit (25ml), 40% ABV
Calories
854 calories: about the same as 6 bags of chocolate buttons
Maximum recommended per week (14 units per week)
14 shots
WHAT NEXT?
If you are drinking more than the above recommendations please look the section on the alcohol audit screening tool. You may also want to look at our guidance on reducing alcohol intake safely. You can also get in touch with Harbour if you want our help to reduce or stop drinking.
