Managing your alcohol intake

Drinking moderate amounts of alcohol doesn't often cause any problems, but drinking too much can be harmful to your health.

The Department of Health advises that men should not drink more than three to four units of alcohol per day, and women should drink no more than two to three units of alcohol per day.

What is a unit of alcohol?

One unit of alcohol is equivalent to 10ml of pure alcohol. As a rough guide:

• 1 pint of strong lager = 3 units
• 1 pint of ordinary lager, bitter or cider, 175ml glass of wine = 2 units
• 1 alcopop = 1.5 units
• 1 measure of spirits = 1 unit
• many wines are around 11 or 12 per cent alcohol, so a small glass = 1.5 units

Lagers and ciders sold in bottles are usually stronger than those sold on draught. You can find out exactly how many units of alcohol are in the bottle by reading the label.

Calculate your alcohol units

Use the calculator below to work out how many alcohol units you consume.

Health risks

Abusing alcohol can lead to a wide range of health problems. In the short term it may cause you to experience drowsiness, tension, dehydration, unconsciousness or even death. In the long term, it is known to contribute to more serious health problems, including liver damage, cancer and heart disease.

Read more about the health risks linked to excessive drinking on the NHS website.

Getting support and treatment for a drink problem

You don't have to be an alcoholic to be drinking over a safe limit. The NHS has developed a free and confidential online Down Your Drink programme to tell drinkers what they need to know to become a 'thinking drinker'.

If you are concerned about your drinking or that of a friend or family member, you can call the free and confidential helpline Drinkline on 0800 917 8282 for advice and information.

You can also get help from your local doctor or from local support organisations like Alcoholics Anonymous that may be able to refer you to structured treatment, such as rehabilitation or detox.

Extent of alcohol misuse in Kent

In March 2008, we published the Alcohol Misuse Select Committee report, which explored the extent of alcohol misuse in Kent and its public health implications, and considered what public health initiatives might be undertaken to address this, with regard to national and government policies and existing national and local best practice.