Sensible drinking
The current recommended guidelines from the Department of Health for safe drinking is a maximum of three to four units of alcohol a day for men, and a maximum of two to three units a day for women. A unit is equivalent to:- half a pint of ordinary strength lager, beer or cider
- a pub measure of spirit, such as gin, vodka or whisky
- a small glass of wine
Women should drink less than men because of their smaller size and different body composition. Women have more body fat and less watery tissue than men. Since alcohol remains in watery tissue, there are fewer places for it to go in women. Unit for unit, it becomes more concentrated in women than men and can therefore do more damage. Women who are pregnant, or who are trying to become pregnant, should drink no more than one or two units once or twice a week.
Staying in control
To find out if you are staying within the sensible drinking guidelines, keep count for a couple of weeks of how many units of alcohol you consume each day. If you find that you are regularly drinking more than the recommended levels, give some thought to cutting down.Set yourself a daily alcohol limit. Work out when you do most of your drinking and see if there are obvious times when you can cut back (such as the ‘quick drink’ at lunchtime or after work).
- Go out later or have your first drink of the day a little later than usual.
- Don’t drink on an empty stomach.
- When you are drinking, try to drink slowly, and take small sips.
- If you’re out drinking in a group, avoid buying in rounds, as it will encourage you to drink more quickly.
- Dilute drinks with non-alcoholic mixers or alternate with non-alcoholic drinks.
- If you’re drinking at home, try not to pour larger drinks than you would get if you were drinking in a pub or restaurant.
- Keep a range of non-alcoholic drinks that you like at home.
(published with permission in writing from:http://www.stroke.org.uk)
