Finding the peg for how much is too much

The risk of long-term illnesses increases from just having one or two heavy drinking episodes a week

The most pragmatic and feasible way to change your relationship with alcohol is by starting to calculate alcohol intake. One might ponder why this is important. This is extremely cardinal because, how much is too much is a germane question that people mull over.

Different countries have divergent measures of alcohol. This also thus brings about variations in the definition of a standard drink. A unit of volume typically used to measure liquor in India is a peg. In the UK, a “unit” is used as a measure of volume for alcohol. Alcohol comes in different-sized containers and has disparate strengths.

Thus, this can make it knotty to monitor the level of consumption. Understanding what a unit entails can thus support a person to keep tabs on the level of consumption. 10 ml (millilitres) of alcohol make up one unit, in other words, 8 gms of pure alcohol. For example, a pint of beer with average strength contains about 4% alcohol by volume (ABV). This means a pint of average-strength beer contains two units of alcohol in it. Studies indicate that it takes about one hour for an adult to metabolise one unit of alcohol so that it exits the bloodstream.

However, the rate of metabolism is highly individual-specific and dependent on demographic factors.

As the consumption of units increases, it takes longer for a person to metabolise the alcohol in the system. For instance, if a person consumes four units, it can take up to four hours to metabolise it. Every drink enlists the alcohol by volume on the label. This label should ideally enlist a percentage of alcohol. For instance, if a drink says 14 ABV or alcohol by volume, it indicates that the drink contains 14% of pure alcohol.

Although certain drinks can be of a very similar nature, they may still possess variations in their alcoholic content. Thus, it also depends on the alcoholic drink that is consumed. Some of the specialist types of alcohol include cider, vodka, lager, spirits, wine, gin, whiskey, Irish cream liquor, prosecco, rose wine, white wine, gluten-free alcohol, vegan alcohol, alcopops, ale and stout, champagne, red wine and energy drinks.

Each of these drinks thus has different calorie and unit content as well. This is also particularly true of wines. Studies indicate that in the last decade, wine has been getting stronger. The best way to keep track of the strength of wine is to check the label or ask the bartender.

Spirits such as vodka, gin or whiskey are mostly served in measures around 25ml which constitute about one unit of alcohol per measure. However, this trend again has taken a shift in the last few years and this has now gone up to 35ml or 50ml measures. Consequently, an individual might be consuming more alcohol than they think they actually are. Wine adopts a very similar trend too. If a person orders a very large glass of wine, they probably are having about 250ml and it is likely to
contain 3 units of alcohol in just a single glass. However, this is very deceptive since it is considered as just a single glass of wine. When more than 8 units of alcohol are consumed on a single occasion for men and more than 6 units for women, it is considered binge drinking.

The risk of long-term illnesses, seizures, blackouts, incidents, accidents or untimely deaths increases from just having one or two heavy drinking episodes a week.

The best first step would be to switch to a smaller glass. The risks can also be brought down by drinking more slowly, accompanying it with food and alternating it with water. It is safest not to drink more than 14 units a week when drinking regularly. There are several sources on the internet and several apps that can be downloaded for free. These enlist the specific measures of alcohol in different drinks and also provide ways to keep track of units consumed. It would be completely worth exploring.

(The author is a multidisciplinary professional who works in the UK.)