Understanding the alcohol lower-risk guidelines
The good news is that there’s no need to stop drinking alcohol altogether. All you really need to do, if you choose to drink, is to stick within the guidelines below.
Lower-risk guidelines
Women: should not regularly* drink more than 2 to 3 units of alcohol a day. That’s no more than a standard 175ml glass of wine (ABV 13%)
Men: should not regularly* drink more than 3 to 4 units of alcohol a day. That’s not much more than a pint of strong lager, beer or cider (ABV 5.2%)
* “Regularly” means drinking this amount most days or every day.
ABV is the percentage of alcohol in the drink.
No-one can say that drinking alcohol is absolutely safe, but by keeping within these guidelines, there’s only a low risk of causing harm in most circumstances.
Counting the units
Adding up what you normally drink can really help if you need to cut back.
Use our handy Drinks Checker to find out how much you drink.
Or you could download our leaflet to jot down what you drink over a typical week to see if you’re drinking over the lower-risk guidelines.
Units don’t work like reward points
You can’t store them up for a big night out. Drinking large amounts in one go does additional physical damage.
Medical warning: if you have physical withdrawal symptoms (like shaking, sweating or feeling very anxious until you have the first drink of the day), you should take medical advice before stopping completely. It can be dangerous to do this too quickly without proper advice and support.
Alcohol and children
Some children ask for a sip of their parents’ alcoholic drink, to see what it tastes like. But an alcohol-free childhood is the healthiest and best option. If children do drink alcohol, it shouldn’t be until they are at least 15. Remember: it's illegal for people under 18 to buy alcohol in a pub, off-licence, shop or elsewhere.