Director of Public Health Annual Report 2019: Alcohol and us

There is no “safe” level of alcohol consumption as alcohol is a known cancer causing agent. However, England’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO) advises that to keep harm from alcohol to a low level, people should not drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis. This advice is the same for men and women. One unit is the same as 10ml or 8g of pure alcohol.

Different drinks have different strengths so this must be taken into account but the infographic below shows several examples of how much alcohol equates to 14 units.

The CMO also advises drinks should be spaced out over the week and not consumed in one sitting. If you’re pregnant or think you could become pregnant, the safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all to keep risks to your baby to a minimum.

A recent survey found 91% of people have heard of units, however only 19% of people in England are able to correctly identify the Chief Medical Officer’s low-risk drinking level. Women are more likely to know the guidelines than men (22% versus 16%).

Approximately 25% of people aged 50+ can correctly remember the recommended weekly units, but only 7% of 18-24-year olds can do the same.

People find estimating how many units are in a drink confusing. A survey of medical and nursing students found they were only able to correctly estimate the units in about 2.4 out of 10 drinks. Wine and premium strength beers were underestimated by over 50% of the students.

People find estimating how many units are in a drink confusing. A survey of medical and nursing students found they were only able to correctly estimate the units in about 2.4 out of 10 drinks. Wine and premium strength beers were underestimated by over 50% of the students.

Alcoholic drinks come in different strengths and sizes, which can make estimation of units difficult but using the simple unit calculator from Alcohol Change UK can help people keep their drinking at safer levels.