The recommended maximum limit for safe drinking is up to three units per day for men and up to two units per day for women. Read on to see how much you should drink!

One UK unit contains eight grams of pure alcohol. In general, it is suggested that men should drink no more than 21 units of alcohol a week and women no more than 14. However, for safe drinking units should be spread over the week to allow a maximum of two or three a day.
Women naturally have more fat cells and less body water, so the alcohol takes longer to leave the body and is less diluted.

Besides sex, your blood alcohol concentration depends on the volume of alcohol you have consumed, how quickly you drank it, your size and weight (the smaller you are, the greater the concentration in your blood), and the amount of water you have in your body. Keeping hydrated keeps down your blood alcohol level. Eating before you drink will also help slow down the alcohol’s absorption into your blood.

Binge Drinking

Recent years have seen a rising national concern about the way that British people binge-drink. Binge drinking is generally classified as drinking anything over eight units in one session for men (about four pints of beer) and six units for women (about two thirds of a bottle of wine), but is about reckless and irresponsible drinking behaviour with the intention of intoxication, rather than a specific number of units.

It is extremely prevalent in the UK according to the Office for National Statistics - more so than other countries, with 36% of men and 27% of women reporting binge drinking at least once a week. Studies have found binge drinking to be more prevalent among those who smoke regularly, who are overweight or who are experience a stressful life event.

Generally viewed as harmless when compared to alcoholism, binge drinking does in fact pose similar health threats, emotional and physical. It can also lead to further harmful alcohol problems.

In general, it is suggested that men should drink no more than 21 units of alcohol a week and women no more than 14. However, for safe drinking, units should be spread over the week to allow a maximum of two or three a day, possibly up to four for men.

Symptoms of alcohol abuse include:

• Having memory loss - not being able to recall things you did or conversations you had
• Drinking by yourself or secretly
• No longer enjoying things that used to be fun or interesting
• Becoming irritable as your normal alcohol consumption time approaches and you are not able to drink
• Stashing alcohol in hiding places at home, work or in the car
• Drinking to get drunk; downing drinks, ordering doubles, needing to drink to feel happy or normal
• Alcohol leading to social problems such as legal prosecution, relationship crises, employment or finance difficulties
• Making drinking a ritual at a certain time of the day, and being angry if you miss it
• If you also experience strong cravings to drink, an inability to stop drinking once you have started, withdrawal symptoms like sweating, nausea and anxiety when you are not drinking and an increasing alcohol tolerance, then you may even have an alcohol addiction
• You feel guilty about drinking and want to cut down, but can’t
• You get irritated or angry when other people comment on your drinking habits

Read More

Understanding Alcohol: Find out more about alcohol and its affects on the body.

Alcoholism - The Signs: Find out what to look for to see if someone you know is an alcoholic.

Alcohol: The Health Dangers: Understand the Health risks involved with heavy drinking.

Alcohol & Driving: Know your limits.

Drinking & Depression: Understand how drinking can cause depression in certain people.

Alcohol and Pregnancy: Information and advice on how much you can drink when pregnant and the health effects.

Alcohol & Family Life: How drinking can affect your family life, plus information on teenage drinking.