A is for Alcohol

The complexity of ‘safe drinking’ limits is enough to send anyone to the pub for a consolatory pint and a moan. For a start, what exactly do the weekly guidelines (14 units of alcohol for women and 21 for men) actually mean? The easiest way to work it out is to follow this formula: volume times strength (alcohol by volume, or ABV) divided by 1,000. So a 125ml glass of wine that is 14% ABV is 1.75 units.

To make the calculations somewhat simpler, the guidelines are also given in glassfuls. Originally, a glass of wine was said to be about 1 unit. But this was based on a 125ml glass of wine at a mere 9% ABV. Most glasses are bigger these days, and most wines stronger. Beer at least comes in set amounts, but can vary greatly in strength.

The guidelines are open to question and criticised as a ‘one-size-fi ts-all’ approximation. Countries around the world have come up with widely differing safe drinking guidelines, with the UK being on the strict side. One of the doctors on the UK committee that set our guidelines in 1987, Richard Smith, recently admitted the fi gures came from a pooling of experience rather than precise calculations. But he also said that the advice was still sound.

Moderate drinking has been shown in many studies to be better for us than teetotalism. So at least ‘moderation in all things’ may be true when it comes to alcohol — and for more than a few that will include moderation in moderation.

Drinkaware: www.drinkaware.co.uk
International Centre for Alcohol Policies: www.icap.org