Know your units

The 'units' system of measuring alcohol consumption causes some confusion among customers and licensees. John Porter looks at how it works and how it can help barstaff to do their job responsibly.

As a publican, you have to walk the line between acknowledging that your customers are adults with the right to make decisions about how much they drink for themselves, and your legal responsibility not to serve anyone you believe is drunk.

The wide variety of drinks which contain alcohol is part of the enjoyment of pub life. The problem can sometimes be knowing just how much a customer has had to drink - how does a glass of wine compare to a pint of beer or single spirit measure?

Government research shows that most people, including those who prop up the bar all night, say that they drink "a little" or "a moderate amount". Yet the same research suggests that one in four men and one in eight women drink more than doctors recommend. The system of measuring alcohol consumption in units was devised by health watchdogs in order to make these official recommendations easier to understand. However, it is still a subject which causes confusion. A unit equals 8gm or 10ml of pure alcohol. You can work out the exact number of units in a particular drink by multiplying the volume of the drink in millilitres (ml) by the percentage ABV, and dividing it by 1,000. For example, to work out the number of units in a 330ml bottle of lager with a five per cent ABV:

330 x 5 = 1,6501,650 divided by 1,000 = 1.65Rounded up, the bottle contains 1.7 units

Still confused? To put it into a practical perspective, all the following drinks contain about one unit of alcohol:

• half a pint of ordinary strength beer, lager or cider
• quarter of a pint of super-strength lager or cider
• a 125ml glass of wine
• one 25ml single measure of spirits
• one small glass of sherry
• one single measure of aperitif.

Recommended daily intake​

The recommend daily intake of alcohol units are intended to be a simple benchmark for adult men and women to measure their alcohol consumption. In general:

• men can drink up to between 3 and 4 units a day
• women can drink up to between 2 and 3 units a
  day.
  The daily benchmark for men is slightly higher than for women because men's bodies tend to:
  • be larger and heavier
  • contain more water
  • metabolise alcohol in a slightly different way.

Advice for anyone consistently drinking more than the daily benchmarks is to think about changing their drinking habits. The Government also advises that the daily benchmarks:

• apply to any day when you drink whether that's
  every day, once or twice a week, or only occasionally. Most people drink different amounts on different occasions. But not drinking on some days doesn't mean that you can drink over the benchmark on days when you do drink
• are not targets to drink up to - it's about how much alcohol your body can cope with on one day without any risk to your health
• are not the same as the drink-drive limit
• don't apply to women who are pregnant or planning to get pregnant.
• don't apply to young people who aren't fully
  grown.

How alcohol affects us ​

Units are a guide only. Alcohol affects everyone in different ways. All alcoholic drinks contain ethanol - pure alcohol - in varying quantities.

The strength, colour and taste of alcoholic drinks depend upon the amount of ethanol and the ingredients used, for example grapes, hops, or grains.

The strength of alcoholic drinks is shown on the label by a percentage alcohol by volume, or ABV, figure. The higher the percentage, the stronger the drink. Some drinks are already labelled with the number of units they contain, and calls for this to become compulsory may well be acted on by the Government in the future.

Alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream within a few minutes of being drunk and is carried to all parts of the body, including the brain. The amount of alcohol in the body, known as the blood alcohol concentration (BAC), depends on many factors, including how much you have drunk, whether you have eaten, and what you have been drinking. It is the BAC which is measured to determine whether someone is over the legal drink-drive limit.

A full stomach can delay the time that it takes for alcohol to be absorbed, so drinking with a meal can result in a lower peak blood alcohol concentration.

Stronger drinks like spirits, and fizzy drinks like champagne or sparkling cider, are absorbed more quickly. If someone is smaller and lighter than average the same number of drinks will lead to a higher alcohol concentration.

Health benefits of alcohol ​

Whenever the subject of the recommended daily intake of alcohol is discussed at the bar, there is always likely to be someone who will insist that studies have shown that a daily tot of whisky, glass of red wine, or similar tipple is good for you.

The official UK Government line is that research does suggest that people who regularly drink small amounts of alcohol tend to live longer than people who don't drink at all.

This is because alcohol helps prevent coronary heart disease. Alcohol influences the amount of cholesterol in the bloodstream, and makes it less likely that clots will form.

However, this protection is significant only when you reach a stage of life when coronary heart disease is likely to be a risk. For men this is over the age of 40 and for women it is after the menopause.

The health benefits come from regularly drinking small amounts. The maximum benefit is achieved by drinking between one and two units of alcohol a day.

The Government doctors also point out that if you don't wish to drink alcohol, there are other things you can do to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

Stopping smoking, eating a healthy diet and taking regular exercise can also make a big difference.

Protecting your profits​

Try some of these tips for helping your customers cut down on their alcohol intake without hitting your profits:

• Promote low alcohol or non-alcoholic drinks
• Encourage customers to add mixers or water to alcoholic drinks
• Salty foods make you thirstier - try putting out some healthier snacks, such as sliced vegetables with low-fat dips
• Promote your menu - if customers eat before they drink, it will slow down the effects of alcohol

Typical unit values​

Examples of the number of units in different drinks, based on standard pub measures:

Wine

Beer/lager/cider

Sherry/port/madeira/vermouth

Spirits