Rethink Your Drink!

The Department of Health in England's Know Your Limits Units campaign is using the week to raise awareness of the health risks of drinking above the Chief Medical Officer's (CMO) recommended lower-risk limits for regular drinking, and to provide straight-forward help for those who want to cut back. The campaign is encouraging people to keep a simple drink diary for the week to learn whether their drinking could be putting them at risk.

Download your Drink Diary to take part!

 Did you know that nearly one in three men and one in five women drink more than the NHS recommended unit guidelines for alcohol?

The Chief Medical Officer's guidelines on lower risk drinking recommend men do not drink more than 3-4 units daily (drinking about two pints or two cans of normal strength beer on a regular basis) and women do not drink more than 2-3 units daily (regularly drinking about a large glass of wine and three single measures of spirits)

These are some of the unit strengths of some common drinks:

 Drink

 Units 
 Wine - Standard 175ml glass: 12%  2.1 
 Wine - large 250 ml glass: 12%  3
 Wine - 750ml bottle: 13.5 %  10
 Beer / Lager - pint: 4%  2.3
 Beer / Lager - pint: 5.2%  3
 Strong cider - 440ml can : 9%  4
 Strong Cider - litre: 9%   9
 Alcopops - 275ml bottle: 5%  1.4
 Spirits (e.g. vodka / gin) - 25ml single: 40%  1
 Spirits (e.g.vodka / gin) - 50ml double: 40%  2

 

 

Drinking above the guidelines can increase your risk of heart disease, breast cancer, liver disease, stroke and other diseases. Drinking above lower-risk guidelines can also impact on your ability to get a good night's sleep and affect your general day to day health.