wine with 11% of alcohol contains 11 units in one litre or 8.25 units.
A pint of beer with a strength of 4.8% (e.g. Budweiser.) is 4.8 units in one litre or 2.73 units in a pint (one pint = 0.568 l)
1 shot (=25 ml) of a 40% tequila is 1 unit (40% = 40 units/1 Litre or 1 unit in 25ml)
Tips for cutting down on your drinking over the festive season
- Explore the alternatives: Try soft drinks and mixers alone with ice and lemon mixed in a glass, which can give you an alcohol-style taste without the alcohol. Plus, premium alcohol-free ‘spirits’ are now growing in popularity, and make a great base for alcohol-free cocktails.
- Watch your measures: If you are making drinks at home then measures poured ‘by eye’ can be much bigger than the 25ml of gin you’d expect at a bar. Invest in a spirit measure to take the guess work out.
- Opt out of rounds: Drinking in rounds means you have to keep pace with the fastest drinker in your group. Stick to buying your own drinks and then you are free to drink at your own speed rather than somebody else’s.
- Take a break: If you want to cut back the amount of alcohol you are drinking and drink with the low risk drinking guidelines, a good way is to try several alcohol-free days each week
- Space your drinks, slow the pace: Enjoying a meal as part of your evening out slows down the absorption of alcohol, so you can enjoy yourself right to the end of the night. Ordering soft options between alcoholic drinks will also help you stay in control.