This week is Alcohol Awareness Week. This blog, written by our intern Helen, will talk about some of the risks associated with drinking too much alcohol and give some tips to help you cut down how much alcohol you drink.
What are the risks associated with alcohol?
For the last six months, I have been working in a busy pub where I’ve been pulling pints, making cocktails and pouring a surprising number of tequila shots at midday. It’s easy to see from the other side of the bar what happens when people drink too much.
But one of the main risks associated with heavy drinking is to your health. Drinking large amounts of alcohol on a regular basis can cause heart disease, strokes, high blood pressure, stomach ulcers and pancreatitis.
Alcohol has also been linked with an increased risk of developing some types of cancer. An American study has shown that as little as one drink a day can increase the risk of mouth, gullet (oesophagus), breast, liver, and bowel cancers.
How much should I drink?
The most up-to-date guidelines say that both men and women should:
It can be confusing to work out what a single unit of alcohol is. One unit is not the same as one drink.
One unit of alcohol is half a pint of ordinary strength beer, lager or cider, one small glass (125ml) of wine, or a single measure (25ml) of spirits.
Drink Aware has reliable information on alcohol and drinking guidelines.
Tips for Drinking Less
Ask for a smaller measure
While a ‘standard’ glass of wine is usually sold as 175ml, you can ask for a 125ml measure if you would like it to be smaller.
Similarly, getting a half pint or a bottle of beer is an easy way to reduce your alcohol intake.
Dilute your drinks
If you want to make your glass of wine go further, ask for a spritzer with soda or lemonade.
You could also consider getting a shandy (half beer and half lemonade). It doesn’t generally taste that different - I sometimes have to tell customers that the shandy they’re happily drinking is meant for someone else in the group!
Check the alcohol percentage
There can be a really big difference in how much alcohol you consume, depending on the strength of the drink you have. For example, a 250ml measure of 14% strength wine is 3.5 units, but an 11% strength wine is only 2.8 units.
If you can’t see a percentage written on your drink, you can always ask the bar staff to find out for you by looking at the bottle of wine or barrel in the cellar.
You can read more advice about how to cut down your alcohol intake and maintain a healthy lifestyle in our booklets, ‘Healthy eating and cancer’ or ‘Managing weight gain after cancer treatment’ which are also available as audio books.‘Healthy eating and cancer’ is also available in several different languages.
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