What is a unit of alcohol?
One unit is 10ml or 8g of pure alcohol, which is the amount of pure alcohol in a 25ml single measure of spirits (ABV 40%), a third of a pint of beer (ABV 5-6%) or half a standard (175ml) glass of red wine (ABV 12%). Apart from spirits, it’s hard to tell how many units are in different types of drink, as it depends on both the size of the drink and its strength or percentage of alcohol by volume (ABV).
How many units can I drink safely?
No amount of alcohol is fully safe. But for men, to drink no more than three to four units per day on a regular basis will have a lower risk of any harm to health. For women the recommended limit is no more than two to three units per day for a lower risk of any harm to health.
You shouldn’t drink at all before strenuous exercise, operating machinery, or driving, or in conjunction with certain medications. If a health professional has advised you to cut down or abstain you should follow their recommendations.
Binge drinking
What is binge drinking?
Binge drinking can be defined as drinking heavily, or with enough alcohol to reach a state of intoxication, on one occasion or in the course of one drinking session. There is no consistently agreed measure of ‘binge drinking’. More than eight units for men and more than six units for women on any one day is used as a measure of binge drinking in the population, but individuals vary and the vital thing is to avoid drinking to intoxication on particular occasions. Binge drinking is a major factor in accidents, violence and anti-social behaviour.
If I drink too much, can I overdose on alcohol?
Overdosing (drinking far too much) can lead to loss of consciousness. You also risk choking on your own vomit, which can kill. Overdosing can also cause alcoholic poisoning, which can be fatal.
Is binge drinking more dangerous for women than it is for men?
Women generally get more drunk than men on the same amount of alcohol. They can also develop drink-related health problems earlier.
What can I do to reduce the amount I drink when I am out?
If you want to drink less when you are out, you could try:
- Don’t buy rounds – only get a drink when you really want one
- Alternate alcoholic drinks and soft drinks
- Put more mixers in spirits to make them last longer
Health risks
Can excessive drinking harm my health?
Excess drinking can seriously affect your long-term health. The more you drink, the greater the risks, which include:
- Liver cirrhosis
- Cancer
- Strokes and cardiovascular/heart problems
- Pancreatitis
- Gastritis
- High blood pressure
- Fertility problems
- Temporary impotence
- Mental health problems
Is it dangerous to mix alcohol with other drugs?
Alcohol can be highly dangerous when taken with other drugs – especially if taken with other depressants (barbiturates, tranquillisers, etc) or with recreational drugs, especially stimulants (such as Ecstasy and cocaine).
My drinking is making me fat. How can I reduce this?
You can reduce your calorie intake from drinking alcohol by:
- Making longer drinks with low-calorie or calorie-free mixers
- Alternating alcoholic drinks with low-calorie non-alcoholic ones
- Alternating pints with half pints
- Having a small glass of wine instead of a pint of beer, as this will have half the calories (NB: alcohol-free beers are high in sugar and not low in calories)
Don’t make the mistake of drinking stronger drinks, just because they may be less sugary. You will just be ‘swapping’ one risk for another. You should also look more widely at your diet and your level of activity and decide whether there are other changes you should make.
Sexual problems
Can drinking affect my sexual behaviour?
Studies have shown that alcohol can contribute to the risk-taking behaviour that can lead to unwanted pregnancies and the contraction of sexually transmitted infections such as HIV, gonorrhoea and syphilis. A survey of 16-24-year-olds (source: Define Feb 2008) found that after drinking alcohol:
- 1 in 7 have had unsafe sex (i.e. without using a condom)
- 1 in 5 had sex they later regretted
- 1 in 10 were unable to remember whether they had sex the night before
- 40% agreed that they would be more likely to have casual sex
Plus, if you’re on the Pill, drink may affect whether you remember to take it, and if you get drunk, vomiting can reduce its effectiveness too. Research suggests alcohol increases desire but decreases physiological stimulation in both sexes.
Can drinking cause sexual problems?
Men may often find that they suffer from temporary impotence (brewer’s droop) after a bout of drinking. If you are a long-term heavy drinker you may experience:
- Loss of libido and impotence
- Shrinking of the testes (testicles)
- Reduction in penis size
- Reduced sperm production
- Loss of pubic and body hair
- Enlargement of the breasts (as a complication of cirrhosis)
Women may find that long-term alcohol misuse can result in the failure to ovulate and general menstrual problems. It can also cause your breasts to shrink.
Mental health
Is there a link between drinking and mental health problems?
There is a strong association between heavy drinking, depression and suicide. UK studies show that 39% of men and 8% of women who attempted suicide were chronic problem drinkers. Alcohol had been consumed before 70% of attempted suicides by men and 40% of attempted suicides by women.
While problem drinking may not directly cause clinical depression it may do so in some cases, and its effect on personal circumstances (relationship problems, unemployment, etc) may increase the likelihood of depressive illness. Research indicates that people do not tend to drink to relieve depression, but depression may accelerate an existing alcohol problem. Both depression and problem drinking are common problems, so they can just coincide.
In many cases, anxiety is a consequence of heavy drinking, rather than a cause. While low doses may appear to cheer people up, higher doses increase psychological distress. Alcohol misuse may accelerate or uncover a predisposition to psychiatric disorder, such as psychosis.
Why do I get depressed when I drink?
Alcohol works as a depressant drug on the nervous system. Although low doses seem to make people happy, it does this by lowering your inhibitions. The depressant effect (feeling sleepy, etc) becomes more noticeable as you drink more. Prolonged drinking can lead to profound and long-lasting mood swings. Symptoms of alcohol-induced depression can be severe but subside during abstinence.
The Law
What are the laws concerning alcohol?
The manufacture, sale, distribution and purchase of alcohol is mainly controlled by the 1964 Licensing Act. There are different licences governing the sale of alcohol. Full ‘on licenses’ are granted to pubs and clubs and mean alcohol can be drunk on the premises. ‘Off licenses’ are granted to off- licenses, shops and supermarkets where alcohol cannot be consumed on the premises. ‘Restaurant licenses’ permit the sale of alcohol and consumption on the premises if accompanied by a meal. Licensing laws also restrict the times at which alcohol can be sold and consumed.
At what age can you legally drink?
The laws are rather complex about the age at which you can drink alcohol:
- It is an offence to give alcohol to a child under five years old
- Children of any age can go into parts of pubs that are set aside for meals or as family rooms
- Children over 14 can go into pubs unaccompanied by adults but cannot be served alcohol until they are 18
- Young people are not allowed to drink alcohol in a bar or buy alcohol in a pub or off-licence until they are 18
- It is illegal for anyone under 18 to buy or be bought alcohol, unless they are 16 or 17 and with someone aged 18 or over who can buy them beer, cider or wine during a table meal in a bar or restaurant.
There are slightly different rules in different parts of the UK: in Northern Ireland, for example, nobody can enter any part of a pub if they are under 18 years old.
What happens if you are caught trying to buy alcohol when you are too young?
Anyone under 18 who tries to buy alcohol can be fined.
What happens if you are caught selling alcohol to someone who is too young?
A licensed vendor (pub landlord, off licence proprietor etc.) who knowingly sells alcohol to under-18s can be fined and could lose their licence. Licences have to be approved by magistrates and the police can object if they think vendors are not fit to sell alcohol.
Is it legal to make your own alcoholic drinks?
Unlicensed home brewing of beers, ciders and wines (but not spirits) is permitted but it is illegal to sell these products.
How else does the law restrict people’s drinking?
Under the Public Order Act 1986, it is an offence to possess or carry alcohol on trains, coaches or minibuses travelling to or from certain sporting events. Police also have powers to confiscate alcohol from under-18s who are drinking on the streets. Some cities have introduced by-laws making it an offence to drink alcohol on the streets in city centre areas at any age.
It is an offence to be drunk and disorderly in a public place, including within licensed premises. If you drink or behave in a way that is anti-social, the police can fine you:
- ¬£50 if you drink alcohol in a ‘no alcohol’ public area, are drunk in the street or drink under the age of 18
- £80 if you harass, alarm or distress someone or behave in a disorderly way
- £80 if you are under 18 and try to buy alcohol or have it bought for you by someone else
- £80 if you vomit or urinate in the street.
And it’s not only you who risks a fine. The person serving you alcohol may also be fined if you’ve clearly had too much to drink.
What is the legal limit for driving?
It is an offence to drive whilst unfit to do so because of drink. Anything more than 80mg of alcohol in every 100ml of blood is over the legal limit.
You can’t translate that into numbers of drinks easily – blood alcohol concentration depends on a range of factors including gender, weight, age, type of alcohol drink, and whether it is drunk on an empty stomach. And any amount of alcohol in your blood will impair your ability to drive. So it’s much safer not to drink at all than to try to calculate the amount of alcohol you are drinking. You could find you are over the limit without meaning to be, especially if you’ve had a heavy night drinking, as you may still be over the limit the next morning. If you drive you could be prosecuted. If you are convicted of drink driving, you can face:
- a minimum 1 year driving ban
- a fine of up to £5000
- up to six months in prison
- endorsement of your driving licence for 11 years.
Even if you are under the legal limit you can still be unfit to drive due to alcohol – and the penalties are the same as for exceeding the limit. If you’ve had a heavy night drinking, you may still be over the limit or unfit to drive the next day. If you drive you could be prosecuted and lose your driving licence.
Alcohol and the workplace
Are there special problems with alcohol in the workplace?
Alcohol problems sometimes stem from an attempt to cope with an underlying problem such as stress, relationship difficulties, depression or bereavement. The result can be that the underlying problems, rather than being addressed, are exacerbated by drinking and the alcohol use itself becomes a problem.
In the case of an employee experiencing an alcohol problem, this could be additionally linked to workplace stress or an organisational culture that encourages or tolerates heavy drinking. A workforce may use drinking as a way of socialising or bonding and even have a workplace bar facility. Other organisations may traditionally use or include drinking in the process of doing business, through lunches for instance. These factors need to be acknowledged if alcohol use affecting the workplace is to be successfully addressed.
Can my employer test me for alcohol or drugs?
Under UK law, employers’ have a responsibility to demonstrate due diligence (i.e. take reasonable care) to prevent an offence if an employee’s ability to work safely is impaired. This need to actively prevent alcohol or drug-related accidents has led companies in the transport sector to introduce testing to prevent employees’ substance use in the workplace. Other industries with staff in safety critical roles, using machinery for instance, may use testing.
Alcohol and Pregnancy
Do I need to cut out alcohol if I’m pregnant?
Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can damage your unborn child, so if you’re pregnant you may prefer to avoid alcohol. Pregnant women or women trying to conceive should avoid drinking alcohol. If they do choose to drink, to protect the baby, they should not drink more than 1-2 units of alcohol once or twice a week and should not get drunk.
Additional advice from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) advises women to avoid alcohol in the first three months in particular, because of the increased risk of miscarriage.
Do I need to cut out alcohol if I’m breastfeeding?
Very small amounts of alcohol pass to your baby through your breast milk. Because of this, if you are breastfeeding, it is advisable to keep your drinking within the limits recommended for pregnant women who do continue to drink some alcohol during pregnancy (ie no more than 1-2 units once or twice a week).
If you regularly drink more than this amount it can affect your baby in a number of ways:
- Your milk may smell different and put your baby off feeding
- The alcohol may make your baby too sleepy to feed
- The baby may have difficulties with digestion and problems with sleeping patterns.
Breastfeeding and alcohol tips
If it’s a special occasion and you know you’re going to be drinking:- Consider expressing milk in advance
- To reduce the exposure of your baby to alcohol , avoid breastfeeding 2 to 3 hours after drinking.
