The UK Chief Medical Officers' guidance is that adults shouldn't drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week — for both men and women — and should spread drinking over at least 3 days, with several alcohol-free days. Most people don't know what a unit looks like in practice. A 'large' glass of wine in a UK pub is already 3 units, so 5 large glasses across a week puts you over. This guide gives you the realistic picture.
One unit = 10ml or 8g of pure alcohol. The formula: ABV × volume (ml) ÷ 1,000. A pint of 4% beer = 4 × 568 ÷ 1,000 = 2.27 units. A 175ml medium glass of 13% wine = 2.3 units. A 25ml single shot of 40% spirit = 1 unit.
Modern beers and wines are stronger than the labels imply. A pint of 5.2% craft IPA is nearly 3 units — almost 50% more than a 'pint of lager' assumption based on 4%.
14 units = roughly 6 pints of strong (5.2%) lager, OR 6 medium (175ml) glasses of 13% wine, OR a bottle and a half of 13.5% wine, OR 14 single shots of spirit.
Spread across 3+ days that's two pints with friends Friday, two glasses of wine with dinner Saturday, two glasses of wine with Sunday lunch — and you've hit the upper recommended limit. Most UK adults who consider themselves moderate drinkers regularly exceed 14 units.
The 2016 review by an expert panel found that for both sexes, the lifetime risk of dying from an alcohol-related condition stays below 1% if you drink up to 14 units a week. Above 14 the risk climbs steeply for cancers (especially breast, mouth, throat, oesophagus, liver, bowel), high blood pressure, stroke and liver disease.
There's no longer a 'safe' lower limit — earlier 'a glass of red wine is good for you' studies have been comprehensively debunked by Mendelian randomisation studies that control for confounders. The healthiest amount of alcohol, biologically, is zero. 14 units is simply 'low risk', not 'no risk'.
Even within a 14-unit week, drinking 8+ units in one session (men) or 6+ units (women) — defined as 'binge drinking' — sharply raises the risk of accidents, alcohol poisoning, blackouts and longer-term cardiovascular harm.
Pacing matters. Alternating alcoholic drinks with water, eating before/during, and stopping at least 2 hours before bed all reduce the harm of the same total units. Drinking the whole week's units in one Saturday night is far worse than spreading them across the week.
If you regularly drink over 14 units and want to cut down, NHS-recommended steps include: nominate 3-4 alcohol-free days a week, switch to lower-ABV alternatives (3.4% session lagers, 11% wine), use smaller glasses, and avoid keeping wine open in the fridge.
If you experience tremor, sweating, anxiety or sleep disruption when you stop, see your GP before reducing — sudden withdrawal from heavy drinking can be dangerous and may need supervised reduction. Alcohol Change UK and Drinkaware provide free anonymous support tools.
Yes — the 2016 review aligned both at 14 units after evidence showed similar risk profiles when accounting for body water content and metabolism.
The supposed cardioprotective effect doesn't survive modern study designs. Any benefit is outweighed by raised cancer risk above ~1 unit/day.
Yes — controlled studies show measurable improvements in liver enzymes, blood pressure, sleep and weight after one alcohol-free month, with many participants drinking less for 6+ months afterwards.
Most cooked-off alcohol residue is well under 0.5 units per portion — not a concern within normal diet.