Cutting down on alcohol

There are many health risks associated with drinking alcohol too much or too often. It can affect your body, mind and relationships. Whilst there is no safe level of drinking when it comes to alcohol, regularly drinking more than the government’s recommended guidelines of 14 units per week for men and women can increase your risk of developing a serious health condition.

The good news is any reduction in the amount you drink every week will be beneficial. Even just having a few drink-free days a week, reducing the number of drinks you have or swapping to lower-strength drinks, are great steps in the right direction. For more information visit Rethink Your Drink, an easy-to-understand resource which provides simple facts and tips to help you to make a change and enjoy the benefits of cutting down.

What are the benefits of cutting down?

There are plenty of reasons to make a change. Cutting down on alcohol can mean you benefit from:

B e n e f i t s o f cu t t i n g d o w n I n c r e a s e d e n e r g y l ev e l s I m p r ov e d a n d m o r e b a l a n c e d m oo d S a v i n g m o n e y M ai n t ai n i n g a h e a l t h y w e i g h t I m p r ov e d s l e e p q u a l i t y H e a l t h i e r lo o k i n g s k i n I m p r ov e d m e m o r y Long term benefits also include: B e n e f i t s o f cu t t i n g d o w n B e n e f i t s o f cu t t i n g d o w n I m p r ov e d a n d m o r e b a l a n c e d m oo d M ai n t ai n i n g a h e a l t h y w e i g h t I m p r ov e d s l e e p q u a l i t y I m p r ov e d m e m o r y Long term benefits also include:

Source: Rethink Your Drink

Do you know how many units are in a standard drink?

Knowing how much is too much when it comes to alcohol can be confusing so an easy first step is using a simple unit calculator to count the units in beer, wine and spirits.

How many units are in your drink? Six medium glasses of 13% wine How much is 14 units of alcohol? Guidelines recommend staying below 14 units spread across a week or Six pints of 4% beer, lager or cider Seven double measures of spirits or 2 u n i t s A d o u b l e m e a s u r e ( 5 0 m l ) o f s p i r i t s 2 . 3 u n i t s O n e m e d i u m ( 17 5 m l ) g l a s s o f w i n e 2 . 3 u n i t s O n e p i n t o f 4 % be e r , l ag e r o r c i d e r How many units are in your drink? 2 u n i t s A d o u b l e m e a s u r e ( 5 0 m l ) o f s p i r i t s 2 . 3 u n i t s O n e m e d i u m ( 17 5 m l ) g l a s s o f w i n e 2 . 3 u n i t s O n e p i n t o f 4 % be e r , l ag e r o r c i d e r Six medium glasses of 13% wine How much is 14 units of alcohol? or Six pints of 4% beer, lager or cider Seven double measures of spirits or

Source: Rethink Your Drink

If you think you may be drinking too much or are just curious about whether you stay within the recommended alcohol units per week, use the Rethink Your Drink quiz. The quiz provides free and confidential tailored advice, based on your responses about how often and how much you are drinking.

Get support

If you are worried about your own drinking or someone else’s, support is available locally and nationally. For more information visit the Rethink Your Drink website.

Remember it is important to seek medical advice before you stop drinking, especially if you have physical withdrawal symptoms like shaking, sweating or feeling anxious until you have your first drink of the day. It can be dangerous to stop drinking too quickly without proper help.