Studies have shown 61% of the UK’s population over-indulge in alcohol over the festive season, more than they usually do.
Drinking too much alcohol can increase your risk of heart disease. How much is too much? How do you know how many units of alcohol you are consuming?
We’re providing some guidance on understanding alcohol units and keeping track of how much you are drinking this Christmas.
What are alcohol units and ABV?
Alcohol units represent the quantity of pure alcohol contained within an alcoholic drink (1 unit is 10ml of pure alcohol). The number of units of alcohol in your drink depends on the size and the strength of your drink. ABV means ‘alcohol by volume’ and this is a measure of the amount of alcohol as a percentage of the total volume of a drink.
Calculating your units
You can find the ABV on the labels of cans and bottles. To calculate the number of units in a drink, multiply the ABV by the volume (in ml) and divide by 1000.
- ABV x volume (ml) ÷ 1000 = units
| 1 BOTTLE OF WINE | 1 PINT BEER / LAGER / CIDER | 1 SINGLE SPIRIT |
750ml (ABV 13.5%) = 10 units | 1 pint (568ml) (ABV 5.2%) = 3 units | 25ml (ABV 40%) = 1 unit |
The drinks you pour at home may be larger than the amount measured out in pubs. You could try using a measuring cup when pouring drinks at home so you can keep track of what you are drinking.
How much is too much?
For men and women, the maximum recommended alcohol units each week is 14, spread over 3 or more days. If you are pregnant, it is recommended that you do not drink alcohol at all.
Try recording how much you are drinking over a week using a diary or alcohol tracker.
Drinkaware provide assessment tools that you can use to track the amount you are drinking: https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/tools
Support for your drinking
If you are worried about how much you, or someone you know, are drinking you can get support by visiting: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/alcohol-support/
To help keep your heart healthy, why not try out some of our Healthy Heart recipes from our website: https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-recipes-2/
Or have a look through our Healthy Heart cookbook filled with recipes from top chefs, celebrities and food bloggers:
https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-cookbook/
