One in four Brits worrying about their drinking habits post-lockdown – how many pints is too many?

ONE in four Brits are worried about drinking alcohol coming out of lockdown.

They are either worried they’ll end up boozing more than ever, or that they’ll slip back into old habits they had shaken off during lockdown.

In fact, one in seven said relaxation of restrictions will lead them to drink more than their now “normal”.

Stay-at-home orders tipped everyone’s lives upside down and for the majority of the past year, it’s not been possible to drink in a pub or bar.

But all that has now changed, and from Monday boozers opened up again for groups of friends.

Alcohol and mental health charity With You polled 2,000 UK adults to see how they felt about the change.

It found lockdown easing is sparking widespread concern about drinking behaviour.

While some are worried about themselves, others are concerned for a loved one.

So what is a safe level of alcohol to drink once you hit the pub?

How many pints is “too many”

Everyone’s body is different and can tolerate varying levels of alcohol, based on their weight, height and metabolism. 

But science is not advanced enough yet to give people their own individual limit for alcohol intake.

Experts say even one drink is harmful because it damages the brain.

But as a general rule of thumb, the NHS recommends drinking no more than 14 units a week.

This looks like four large glasses of wine and one medium glass, or seven cans of beer.

There are various ways units can be made up, with some drinks worth more units than others.

But the NHS recommends you spread these out over one week, rather than binging them all on a weekend night.

It’s also worth noting that women get drunker a lot faster, according to Dr Sarah Brewer, the medical director of HealthSpan.

How many units are in your favourite drink?

A quick way of working out how many units are in your drink is by multiplying the strength of the alcohol by the volume in millilitres.

Then divide by 1,000 and it will give you the number of units.

For example wine at 12 per cent in a 750ml bottle would have ten units in it.

Other rough measurements include:

  • Standard glass of wine – 2.1 units
  • Pint of low strength beer – 2 units
  • Pint of high strength beer – 3 units
  • Bottle of lager – 1.7 units
  • Can of lager – 2 units
  • Alcopop – 1.5 units
  • Single spirit and mixer – 1 unit

She told the Sun: “Women have less alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme activity in their stomachs than men. As a result, less alcohol is deactivated in the stomach before being absorbed into the circulation and transported to the liver.

“Women absorb a third more alcohol than a man of the same size when they have consumed equal amounts.

“Overall, women eliminate alcohol at least 10 per cent slower than men.”

Although it may be tempting to keep up with your male friends or partner, the science suggests this could make you quickly unwell.

How do you know if you are drinking too much?

Take this quiz to work out if you are verging on dependant on booze:


How to ease back into drinking after lockdown 

Alcohol Change UK has some tips on how to drink at a healthy level as lockdown eases.

The idea of hitting the pub can seem daunting – particularly if you have stayed away from booze during lockdown.

So here are some tips to prevent you going overboard:

Decide what you’re going to drink before you get there

This saves you having to think of something quickly in the moment, which might have you panic-ordering your go-to alcoholic drink.

You could find out what alcohol-free options are available at the venue before you get there, too.

If you’re struggling to stick to your resolve, fast forward to tomorrow

What will it look like tomorrow if you have more drinks than you initially wanted to right now?

Visualising how hungover you will be can help you rein it in.

Step away if you need to

If the people you’re with are piling on the pressure for you to drink or are making comments about your lack of alcohol consumption, step away for a few moments.

You could phone a friend, go to the bathroom, walk around the block or just take a few, slow breaths to center yourself. 

Tell people you’re not drinking before you get there

If you plan on not drinking, communicate this to whoever you're meeting up with before you see them, so you're both prepared. 

Remember why you want to keep your drinking under control 

Write your reasons down or just make sure they're clear in your head, and go back to them if you have a wobble.

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