Healthy Living
Healthy Living
Alcohol
No amount of alcohol is completely safe. The NHS-recommended lower risk limits are the levels of regular drinking that pose only a low risk of developing future health problems. Drinking above these levels on a regular basis is associated with an increasing risk of diseases, and these risks increase the more you drink.
The NHS recommends:
• Men should not exceed three to four units per day on a regular basis
• Women should not exceed two to three units per day on a regular basis
Are there times when you shouldn’t drink at all?
If on certain occasions you do drink heavily, give your body a chance to recover: at least 48 hours with no alcohol. Otherwise you’re just adding to the damage.
You shouldn't drink at all before strenuous exercise, operating machinery, or driving. You also shouldn’t drink if you’re on certain medicines – your doctor or pharmacist can give you advice if you’re not sure. If your doctor has advised you to cut down, or stop drinking, you should follow their recommendations.
How do the daily limits work?
The limits are given as ranges ('two to three' and 'three to four') because the same amount of alcohol can affect different people in different ways, depending on your sex, weight, height and many other factors. This means there is no exact threshold where your drinking will become particularly risky or low-risk.
They’re lower for women because women and men process and tolerate alcohol differently; for example, women’s bodies have a higher ratio of fat to water, so they generally can’t process alcohol as easily.
They are given as daily figures for regular consumption because it is important to recognise that regular daily levels quickly add up. The NHS wishes to discourage the belief that you could take the number of units of a weekly limit and drink them all at once – binge drinking is harder on your body and may put yourself or others at risk. Use of daily limits are not intended to suggest that you should never drink more than the recommended limits in a single day, for example on special occasions.
Drinking limits during pregnancy
Pregnant women or women trying to conceive should avoid drinking alcohol.
Information taken from NHS Choices - the following are also useful websites on alcohol:
