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Alcoholics Advisory Service 024 76 22 6619
The medical guidelines to what are supposed to be safe levels of drinking are measured in "units of alcohol". Authorities recommend that men should drink no more than three or four units a day, with a weekly total of no more than 21, and women no more than two or three units a day, with a weekly total of no more than 14. It is also suggested that it's wise to have one or two alcohol-free days per week.
Most popular brands of beer and lager contain around 2 to 2.25 units of alcohol in a pint and 1.5 to 1.75 units in a 440ml can. Some super-strong lagers can have anything up to 6 units in a pint.
A standard 750ml bottle of wine contains 7-10 units of alcohol, and a regular pub glass (125ml) has roughly 1.5 units.
A standard 700ml bottle of spirits (whisky, vodka, rum etc) contains 25-30 units of alcohol. So a standard pub measure contains one unit.
Fortified wines such as sherry or port have around 13-14 units of alcohol in a typical 750ml bottle, or one unit per pub measure.
Alcopops contain between 1.5 and 1.75 units of alcohol per bottle.
Unlike most drugs, alcohol has food value and supplies calories. A pint of beer can supply as many calories as six slices of bread. But beer provides very little protein or vitamin, and distilled spirits provide none at all.
Prevalence
Over 90% of British adults drink alcohol: it's our most popular drug. On average, men drink the equivalent of a pint and a half of beer a day, women about half a pint. One in five men drink more than three pints of beer at least once a week.
Getting drunk is very common. Nearly half the male population and one in seven women will have been drunk in the past three months.
Young people drink more alcohol than older people. In the late teens and early twenties, alcohol consumption is 40-50% higher.
Effects and risks
Alcohol is a depressant drug. It acts on the central nervous system to slow the body down. After about two pints of beer most people feel less inhibited and more relaxed. Some people become aggressive and argumentative. A lot of violence on the streets and in the home happens after people have been drinking.
Drinking alcohol makes accidents more common, especially when people drive or are operating machinery. Lowering of inhibitions can make it more likely that people will put themselves in sexual situations which they later regret. They are also less likely to practise safer sex and use condoms.
Drinking too much in one go can lead to losing consciousness and death by choking on vomit.
Alcohol can also be very dangerous to take in combination with other drugs, especially other depressant drugs such as heroin, methadone or tranquillisers and drugs such as anti-depressants, anti-histamines and painkillers.
Drinking alcohol above recommended levels can lead to medical problems such as indigestion, gastritis, ulcers, depression, high blood pressure and many more.
Long-term heavy drinking can be very damaging. Physical dependence and tolerance develop so people drink more and more and suffer withdrawal symptoms (such as trembling, sweating, anxiety and delirium) if they try to stop. At this point people will be regarded as alcoholics. Heavy long-term drinking can also lead to obesity and cause damage to the heart, liver, stomach and brain.
Between 20-50,000 deaths a year in the UK are associated with alcohol. This includes deaths from alcohol-related accidents, cirrhosis of the liver and other diseases and death from overdose.
Treatment
There are many patients drinking above the safe levels of 14 for a woman and 21 for a man. Drinking between 50 and 100 units per week causes psychological addiction; above 100 units results in dependency.
Patients drinking below 100 units per week can be supported through brief interventions and counselling to reduce their alcohol intake to safe levels. Patients drinking above 100 units per week will need to have a community or in-patient detoxification. Because of the dependency, medication is required to help to reduce the intake.
For more informationn go to the alcoholconcern.org.uk website
Take a test
If you would like a confidential appraisal of your level of drinking, take a AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test).
AUDIT
Alcohol Use Disorder IdentificationTest
It will take a couple of minutes to answer these questions. They will reveal if you have an alcohol problem, or may be at risk of developing one.
How often do you have an alcoholic drink?
0 Never
1 Monthly or less
2 2-4 times a month
3 2-3 times a week
4 4 or more times a week
How many alcoholic drinks do you have on a typical day when you are drinking?
0 One or two
1 Three or four
2 Five or six
3 Seven or eight
4 Ten or more
How often during the last year have you found that you were not able to stop drinking once you started?
0 Never
1 Less than once a month
2 Once a month
3 Once a week
4 Daily or almost daily
How often in the last year have you failed to do what was normally expected of you because of drinking?
0 Never
1 Less than once a month
2 Once a month
3 Once a week
4 Daily or almost daily
Has a close relative or health worker been concerned about your drinking or suggested you cut down?
0 No
2 Yes, but not in the last year
4 Yes, during the last year
Use the numbers beside the answers to total your score.
Score 4 or below: no further action necessary – except to check periodically that your score remains below 5
Score 5 or above: suggests you are at risk of developing a problem. You should discuss it with your GP
Score 10 or above: suggests you are a dependent drinker. You need help, such as a community detoxification or referral to specialist services.
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