Finishing the day or week with a glass of wine or two is a popular choice to unwind. Despite this, 24% of adults in England and Scotland regularly drink over the Chief Medical Officer’s low-risk guidelines, and alcohol is the fifth largest risk factor for death, ill-health and disability.

 

It is recommended in the UK to not exceed more than 14 units of alcohol per week, equivalent to 7 pints of 4% ABV beer, or 1.5 bottles of 12% ABV wine. Excessive alcohol intake can contribute to increasing weight, liver disease, heart disease, mouth and throat cancer, and poor mental health. Not only would reducing alcohol intake help improve your risk of developing these health conditions, it can help to improve mood, sleep quality and productivity.

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• To keep health risks from alcohol to a low level it is safest not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis.

• If you regularly drink as much as 14 units per week, it is best to spread your drinking evenly over 3 or more days.

• If you have 1 or 2 heavy drinking episodes a week, you increase your risks of death from long term illness and from accidents and injuries.

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If you're pregnant or think you could become pregnant, the safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all to keep risks to your baby to a minimum.  ​Find out more about pregnancy and alcohol

 

We can support you in making realistic changes to your lifestyle, including alcohol intake to improve your health.