Health

Alcohol

What Are the Effects?

Alcohol is found in drinks such as beer, lager, wine, spirits, cider and alcopops. Many people enjoy drinking because it helps them relax and be more sociable. Others will use alcohol to escape from their problems. The effect depends on the strength of the drink, how much has been consumed. It also varies according to when the person last ate, their weight, mood and surroundings. After drinking alcohol people's speech can become slurred, co-ordination affected and emotions heightened. A hangover after drinking too much can leave you feeling ill for a day or so.

What Are the Risks?

  • Alcohol is a depressant drug and can leave users feeling very down.
  • Overdose (drinking too much) can lead to loss of consciousness.
  • Users then risk choking on their own vomit. This can kill.
  • Overdose can also cause alcoholic poisoning, which can be fatal.
  • Long term use can lead to serious liver, heart and stomach problems.
  • More than 25,000 deaths in the UK each year are alcohol related.
  • Mixing alcohol with other drugs is SERIOUSLY DANGEROUS.
  • Drinking alcohol can lead you to do things you would not normally do. This could include unsafe sex.

Safe drinking

Alcohol consumption is measured in units. Some drinks are stronger than others and contain more units of alcohol. A unit is 8gms or 10ml (1cl) of pure alcohol. This is the same as:
  • A half-pint of ordinary strength beer/cider/lager (of 3.5% to 4.0% vol).
  • A small glass (125ml) of lower strength wine (8% or 9% vol).
  • A single pub measure (25ml) of spirits such as whiskey or vodka (40% vol).
Males: if you reqularly drink more than four units a day, there is an increasing risk to health. If you drink between three and four units a day, or less, there are no significant health risks.

Females: if you reqularly drink more than three units a day, there is an increasing risk to health. If you drink between two and three units a day, or less, there are no significant health risks.

Note: The benchmarks are lower for women than men because, as a generalisation, women are smaller and lighter, their bodies contain less water and they have a different metabolism. The benchmarks do not apply to pregant women, women planning pregnancy or young men who have not yet reached physical maturity.