Drinking and your health
For many people, having a drink or two is often an important part of socialising and most of us enjoy a drink when we're relaxing or having fun. Nobody's saying that we should all cut out drinking, but it is important to have the facts about how alcohol can affect your health, relationships and career. So then you'll be able to decide how much you want to drink.
You only need to drink a little over the recommended limits to risk liver problems, depression, forgetfulness and more.
So, what are the guidelines for sensible drinking?
- If you're a man, don't regularly drink more than three to four units a day.
- If you're a woman don't regularly drink more than two to three units a day.
- Don't drink alcohol for 48 hours after a heavy drinking session.
- Avoid alcohol completely if you're pregnant or trying to conceive. If you do drink, drink no more than one to two units once or twice a week.
Additional advice from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) advises women to avoid alcohol in the first three months in particular. The more alcohol you drink the greater your risk of damaging your body.
What is a unit?
We measure the alcohol content of a drink in units. For instance, a pint of typical-strength bitter contains just over two units, while a glass of wine can contain anything from around 1.5 to over three, depending on the size of the glass and strength of the wine.
One UK unit is 10ml or eight grams of pure alcohol (also called ethanol). You can calculate the units in a drink by multiplying the amount in millilitres (ml) by the strength (ABV) and dividing the result by 1000.
If you want to get an idea of how many units you're drinking, All you need to do is click on your drink using the calculator below, then choose the right strength and amount: the calculator will do the rest.
You can also calculate and add up the units of more than one drink. 
It's good to cut down
If you do drink more than the recommended daily limits on a regular basis, then cutting down will be good for your health. But you're more likely soon to start seeing other benefits too, for example you'll feel better in the mornings, you'll be less tired during the day, your skin will start to look better, your body will start to feel in better shape and you may stop gaining weight.
There are some simple steps to follow if you are thinking about cutting down on your drinking. Find out more by visiting the NHS drinking website.