Alcohol
& You
Promoting Positive Change
DERBYSHIRE
Alcohol Advice Service
Is your drinking
sneaking up on
you?
A few glasses of wine at
home...a couple of pints
after work...it all adds up.
Many of us drink more
than we realise.
How much is too much?
Often we drink to help us unwind, relax or forget our problems. However
regularly drinking over recommended guidelines can increase our risk of
serious health problems such as cancer, heart problems and liver disease.
It can also lead to other other problems with relationships, money, work
and more.
Daily Recommended Guidelines
Men
Women
3-4 Units
per day
2-3 Units
per day
If I want to cut down
where do I start?
A good place to start is to work out
how much you are drinking. The good
news is that cutting down doesn’t
necessarily mean stopping.
This booklet is designed to help you
work out how much you are drinking,
whether its too much, and gives you
some ideas for how to cut down.
Know your Units
Units
WINE
Small glass of wine (125ml) ABV 13%
1.6
Medium glass of wine (175ml)
ABV 13% 2.3
Large glass of wine (250ml)
ABV 13% 3.3
Bottle of wine (75cl/750ml)
ABV 13% 9.8
Regular Cider (1 pint)
ABV 5.3% 3
Strong Cider (440ml can)
ABV 5% 2.2
Strong Cider (500ml can)
ABV 7.5% 3.8
CIDER
LAGER or BITTER
WHISKEY or
BRANDY
VODKA or GIN
Standard Lager/Bitter (1 pint)
ABV 4% 2.3
Strong Lager/Bitter (440ml can)
ABV 5% 2.2
Strong Lager or Bitter (1 pint)
ABV 5% 2.8
Super Strength Lager (500ml can) ABV 9% 4.5
Single measure (35ml)
ABV 40% 1.4
Double measure (70ml)
ABV 40% 2.8
Bottle (70cl/700ml)
ABV 40% 28
Single measure (35ml)
ABV 37.5% 1.3
Double measure (70ml)
ABV 37.5% 2.6
Bottle (70cl/700ml)
ABV 37.5% 26
Step 1 - How much are you drinking?
Try to write down what you are drinking over a typical week. Then see if you
are drinking over the recommended guidelines. It helps to be honest. Adding
up what you drink can help you to know whether you need to cut down.
Day
Why, where,
who with?
Example
Cooking dinner
Bored and feeling low
Type of
drink
440ml can of
strong lager.
Medium 175ml glass
of white wine
Number Units
of
drinks
2
2x2.2
2
2x2.3
Total
units
for day
9
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Weekly Total
Average daily units
To download further diaries or to use our on-line drinks calculator visit our
website www.daas.co.uk
Step 2 - Are you at risk of harming your
health?
The effects of alcohol on your health will depend on how much you
drink. The more you drink the more you raise your risk of health problems.
Using the following information can you work out your risk level?
MEN
Over 50 units per
week (25 standard
pints of lager)
WOMEN
HIGHER RISK
Over 35 units per
week (3.5 bottles
of wine)
Over 28 units
per week (14
standard pints)
INCREASING
RISK
Over 21 units
per week (2
bottles of wine)
Under 28 units
per week (14
standard pints)
LOWER
RISK
Under 21 units
per week (2
bottles of wine)
What does this mean?
Lower risk
If your typical drinking falls within the daily unit guidelines, you run a fairly low
risk of developing an alcohol-related illness. However some people cannot drink
at all because they are pregnant, taking medication or have health problems.
Increasing risk
If you are regularly exceeding the daily unit guidelines you start to increase your
risk of developing health problems such as: liver and heart disease, raised blood
pressure, various cancers, depression, anxiety, sleep problems, sexual problems
and more.
High Risk
If you regularly fall into this group then your health will almost certainly be
harmed. You are at high risk of developing health problems such as: liver and
heart disease, raised blood pressure, various cancers, depression, anxiety, sleep
problems, sexual problems and more.
Is it time to cut down?
What is binge drinking?
Even if you do not drink every day, you could be at risk of harming your health
and other problems if you regularly drink:
n too much too quickly
n with the aim of getting drunk
n more than double the recommended guidelines in a single session
which is:
n over 8 units for a man or 4 pints of standard lager
n over 6 units for a women or two large glasses of wine.
If you do drink in this way, then your body will not be able to keep
up with the amount of alcohol you are consuming and may be
damaged as a result. Some of the risks of binge drinking are as follows:
The risks of binge drinking
Health
n Loss of brain cell function
n Gag reflex may not work leading to choking
n Alcohol poisoning, hyperthermia, coma and
even death
Other Risks
n Poor judgement
n Unacceptable and even violent
behaviour
n Passing out
n Placing yourself in vulnerable
situations
Step 3 – Helping you make the decision
You may have mixed feelings about whether you want to change your
drinking. It can help to think about the good things about your drinking and
the not so good things.
1
The good things about my drinking
The things I don’t like about my drinking
Gives me confidence to speak to people
I do or say things I later regret
2
3
4
5
Now think about the advantages of staying the same and the disadvantages of
staying the same.
1
2
3
4
5
Advantages of staying the same
Disadvantages of staying the same
Going out drinking with my friends
Constantly late for work
Step 4 – Think differently about your
drinking
People often drink too much to help
them cope with how they feel. The
urge to drink can be very strong and
finding ways to distract yourself can
help. It can help to think about why
you drink and what else you could do
instead.
Reason for drink
To relax
To give me confidence
Because friends do
To help sleep
For company
Boredom
I like the taste
Because I am angry
To cope with worries
To celebrate
Other reasons you
can think of:
Tick if it applies to me
Re-t rhidnkrink
you
Other ways I might achieve this
Step 5 – High risk situations
If you find yourself in a high risk situation where you feel a strong urge to drink
then you need to be ready to cope with it. What else could you do to stop
yourself from drinking when you feel under pressure? It can help to plan for
these moments.
Risky situation
How will I cope
People who can support me
1
2
3
4
Step 6 – Planning and
setting goals
Once you’ve made the decision to change,
the next step is establishing clear drinking
goals. The more specific, realistic, and clear
your goals, the better. Here are some
example goals:
Example 1 - My drinking goal
I want to reduce the amount I drink. I want to completely stop
drinking during the week and drink less at weekends. I plan to do
this in two stages by:
Gradually reducing down what I drink to__________units
per day, then
After four weeks stopping completely during the week.
I will then cut my weekend drinking back to________units.
Example 2 - My drinking goal
I want to reduce the amount I drink when I go out at
weekends.
I will do this by not drinking before I go out. When I do go
out, I will only take a certain amount of money with me and I
will leave my debit card at home. I will avoid getting into
rounds and will slow my drinking down. I want to reduce my
drinking down to _________units on a Friday and Saturday
and will not go out on a Sunday night.
My drinking goal
How I plan to do this
Warning
If you have physical withdrawal symptoms (shaking, sweating, anxiety)
do not make changes without talking to your GP or taking advice from
an alcohol worker.
The benefits of cutting down
Once you start to cut down you should start to feel the benefits quite quickly.
Cutting back on alcohol will help with general well-being and other areas
of your life. Here are some examples:
Family life
n Improved relationships with
partners, children and other
family members
n Less likely to get into arguments
n More likely to positively
influence your children’s views
Your health
n Sleep better
n Lose weight
n Better physical shape and
more energy
n Reduced risk of heart disease,
high blood pressure brain
damage and other health
problems
n Less likely to suffer with
depression and anxiety
Other benefits...
n
n
n
n
n
n
More money
Being able to remember a night out
Less likely to do things you later regret
Less likely to find yourself in vulnerable situations
Reduced risk of drink driving
Less likely to become involved in situations leading to arrest
Alcohol and Calories
Cutting down on alcohol can help
with weight loss. Alcohol is high in
sugar and contains a lot of calories.
A pint of regular cider is the equivalent
to one sugar iced doughnut and a standard
glass of wine is the equivalent to one
chocolate ice. The chart below provides
calorie information of some common
drinks.
Drink Type
Serving size
Kcal
Alcopop
Bottle 275ml
156 - 206
Cider - regular
Pint
210
Cider - strong
Pint
250
Cream liqueur
Glass 50ml
175
Lager/Ale/Bitter - standard
Pint
170
Lager/Ale/Bitter - strong
Pint
227
Low alcohol lager
Pint
60-80
Port
Glass 50ml
79
Sherry
Glass 50ml
68
Vodka/Gin/Barcardi
Single 35ml
74
Vodka/Gin/Barcardi and mixer
Single 35ml
130
Whisky/Brandy
Single 35ml
85
Whisky/Brandy and mixer
Single 35ml
141
Wine - red or white, still or sparkling
Standard 175ml
130
Tips for cutting down
When you’re at home....
n Don’t buy it - you can’t drink what you
haven’t got
n Reduce your units by buying lower
strength ABV% drink
n Keep busy and do other things
n Reduce the amount you pour into
your glass
n Use smaller glasses
n Start drinking later in the day and finish drinking earlier
n Consider dinner or weekend only drinking but avoid binge drinking
When you’re out...
n Keep out of rounds
n Avoid drinking at home before you go
n Pace your drinking and sip your
drinks slowly
n Avoid heavy drinkers
n Sip a soft drink or water between
alcoholic drinks
n Only take a certain amount of money
with you
n Know how you are getting home
n Decide on a time to go home
and keep to it
Notes
Notes
Further help
If you want advice about your drinking or are finding it difficult to cut
down, you may find it helpful to talk to an alcohol advice worker.
If you are a friend, partner or family member and are worried about
someone’s drinking you may also find it helpful to talk to an alcohol
advice worker.
If you would like to arrange an appointment for this FREE service
please call us on the number below.
How to find us
Our central base is in Chesterfield however if you live in Derbyshire
(but excluding Derby City) we can arrange to meet you at venue in your
area.
DRONFIELD
BUXTON
A6
A61
A619
BAKEWELL
BOLSOVER
CHESTERFIELD
CLAY CROSS
SHIREBROOK
ALFRETON
A38
RIPLEY
BELPER
HEANOR
A517
MATLOCK
ASHBOURNE
ILKESTON
DERBY*
SWADLINCOTE
1st Floor Dents Chambers, 81 New Square, Chesterfield S40 1AH
Opening hours: Monday, Wednesday & Friday 9.00am until 4.30pm Tuesday & Thursday 9.00am until 8.00pm
Call 0845 308 4010 or 01246 206514
www.daas.uk.com
Email: [email protected]