Think you know your drink? This simple test will help you find out…

It’s alcohol awareness week 13-19 November and we’ve been thinking ahead to the festive season (sorry!).

Do you really know how much you drink when you’re out with your friends? It is surprising how many of us aren’t certain what the safe drinking limits are and how much alcohol is in a standard pub/bar serving.

Noamount of alcohol consumption is completely safe; however by sticking within these guidelines, you can lower your risk of harming your health.

  • men and women are advised not to regularly drink more than 14 units a week
  • if you do drink as much as 14 units in a week, don’t ‘save up’ your units for just a couple of nights
  • spread your drinking over three days or more if you drink as much as 14 units a week

So, what is a unit? How many units are in my drink?

A single unit of alcohol would equal for example:

  • ½ a pint of lager (3.5% ABV)
  • a small (125ml) glass of wine (10% ABV)
  • a small (25ml) glass of spirits

Given that most pubs and restaurants no longer have 125ml wine glasses, even their small/regular size glass usually contains 175ml so that’s 2.1 units straight away. A pint of 4.5% beer has 2.6 units with a double shot (50ml) of spirits containing 2 units.

It soon mounts up and the effects of drinking too much alcohol on a regular basis can really impact your health and your life. Your kidneys and liver, stomach, heart and mental health can all suffer if you drink too much.

Don’t worry there are lots of ways to lower your risks. As well as those already mentioned, you could:

  • try drinking a glass of water or a soft drink for every alcoholic drink you have
  • offer to be the dedicated driver for a night – stick to soft drinks and give yourself a break
  • eat a healthy meal before you go out, you are less likely to binge if you feel full

If you think you know your drink, take our test and see how well you dohttp://buckscc.drinkchecker.org.uk. You can also find details about the lower risk guidance at this website.

If you or a loved one are struggling with alcohol One Recovery Buckinghamshire can help. This is a new service open to anyone over 18 in Buckinghamshire who would like help reduce their substance use. The service also helps families and carers who support someone who misuses substances. It is open six days a week including evenings and weekends at the following locations: Aylesbury, High Wycombe, Buckingham, Chesham and Burnham. You don’t have to be referred by a professional to contact the service. You can visit the websitehttps://onerecoverybucks.orgor call directly on 0300 7729 672

Noel Brown, Cabinet Member for Community Engagement and Public Health, added “As we get closer to Christmas and the party invitations start to come in we are encouraging all of our residents to be drink aware and to try to stay within the recommended limits to avoid any unwanted effects on their health. If you have children, it is a good time to have a chat with them about the effects of drinking alcohol and help them to understand the dangers too.”