Get to know your units
With the festive season only just behind us, and most people's New Year detox underway, alcohol isn't at the forefront of the mind just yet.
But as work picks up again, it won't be long until that bottle of wine is calling your name - just watch how much you drink, since a group of MPs have warned us to ensure we have at least two alcohol free days a week.
It comes as a report into drinking habits has been published by the Commons Science and Technology committee, concerned about 'booze Britain', and calls for a re-think into the way the Government outlines its guidelines for alcohol intake, since they argue that people just aren't clear on how much is too much.
Their report found that whilst the public are aware of the units system to measure alcohol, they don't actually know how many are in their drinks - or how quickly they add up, so the MPs involved have recommended that a more simplified set of guidelines would help enforce the warning against drinking every day.
A survey by the Office for National Statistics found that 90% of people had heard of units, but fewer than one in three knew how many were in a single glass of wine - and only 13% kept track of how many units they had consumed whilst drinking.
So how well do you know your units? Back in 1987 when guidelines were first set out, the figures stood at 21 units a week for men, and 14 a week for women, but that changed in 1995 when the current recommendations were introduced - for men, three to four units a day (one and a half pints of 4% beer), and two to three units a day for women (175ml glass of wine).
One unit is 10ml of pure alcohol - which is the amount of alcohol an average adult can process within an hour, hence why experts suggest you leave a 48 hour alcohol-free period in order to allow your body to recover.
Tips to monitor your alcohol intake:
- When out in bars or pubs, ask for a small glass of wine - quite often, bar staff with serve you their 'standard' 175ml glass, but there is also a smaller 125ml serving available.
- Avoid 'rounds' - you'll quickly lose count of how many drinks you have had.
- Check that you aren't being served a double measure because it's a 'better deal'.
- Alternate each glass of alcohol with a soft drink.
- Ask for a shandy, or wine spritzer - you'll still be getting the same size serving, but with slightly diluted alcohol, therefore allowing you to control your intake.
For more information and advice, see www.drinkaware.co.uk.
Georgia Smith
Tagged in Alcohol