Know Your Limits

Wine It's not unusual to want to take a little time out and have a drink or two. The problem with alcohol is that sometimes one drink can very easily lead to another. Before you know it, you might have drunk more than you intended. There are plenty of positive things about having a drink. It helps you unwind and relax and it's enjoyable to do with friends. But regularly drinking more than the recommended daily amount of units has its risks.

Pint NHS advice on drinking recommends that men should not regularly drink more than 3-4 units of alcohol a day and women should not regularly drink more than 2-3 units a day. 'Regularly' means drinking every day or most days of the week. Pregnant women or women trying to conceive should avoid drinking alcohol. If they do choose to drink, to minimise the risk to the baby, they should not drink more than 1-2 units once or twice a week and should not get drunk.

You may want to keep track of what you drink in a day or an evening, and count your units. Be aware of the health and personal safety risks you face if you go over the NHS recommended limit - this will help you make an informed choice as to how and when you drink

Units they all Add Up

Unfortunately you can't just count each drink as a unit of alcohol. The number of units depends on the different strength and size of each drink, so it can vary a lot.

We've created a calculator to help you plan a night out, or help you work out how much you drank last night. It's simple to use: just click on your drink, choose a strength and volume then calculate the units. You can calculate and add up the units of multiple drinks