Posted 06 May 2009

Know your units

Following the new 'Know your limits' campaign launched 19th May by the Public Health Minister we’re asking all of you to keep an alcohol diary and use the units guide laid out by the Home Office. The media campaign will be followed by a £4 million binge-drinking campaign from the Home Office next month.

The recommended daily limit for drinking in the UK is 2-3 units a day for women, and 3-4 units a day for men. (This is the recommended maximum for healthy individuals and not pregnant women or people with other health issues.).Regularly exceeding this limit can result in serious health problems and therefore it is important to keep an eye on your intake.

In line with this we're asking you to keep an alcohol diary for a week to discover just how much you drink. If you're unsure how many units are in your drinks (remember that most drinks have increased due to larger serving sizes and increased strength) you can check them here by using the the NHS’ unit calculator.

Once you've got the information making a change is up to you. If you find yourself exceeding the recommended limits it's important that you cur down to avoid health risk - how you cut down is up to you, but it can be helpful to start by having 2 or 3 alcohol free days a week, and by reducing the quantity you drink by reducing your drink size and alternating between alcoholic and soft drinks.