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Alcohol Awareness

As of 2016 the Government recommended guidelines for alcohol consumption have changed.   The evidence suggests alcohol should not be consumed in greater quantities than 14 units per week for both males and females of which should be consumed over several days of the week, meaning you have several drink free days each week.  Complying with these guidelines is believed to lower your risk of developing alcohol related diseases including cancers, heart disease and liver disease.

The guidelines often talk about consumption rates in the measure of units.  One common problem identified amongst individuals is the lack of understanding of the term unit and therefore many people are unable to identify unit content in drinks accurately.  Figure 1 shows some examples of what one unit is equal to.

Figure 1:
14 units is quivalent to approximately:

Have a go at the alcohol screening tool

Audit-C

 Questions

      Scoring System Your
Score 
 0  1  2  3  4
How often do you have a drink containing alcohol?  Never  Monthly
or less		  2 – 4 times per month 2 – 3 times per week 4+ times per week
How many units of alcohol do you drink on a typical day when you are drinking?  1 – 2 3 – 4  5 – 6  7 – 9 10+
How often have you had 6 or more units if female, or 8 or more if male, on a single occasion in the last year?  Never Less than monthly  Monthly Weekly Daily or almost daily

Scoring:
A total of 5+ indicates increasing or higher risk drinking.
An overall total score of 5 or above is AUDIT-C positive.

If you have any concerns regarding your score and would like to discuss this please contact bthhealthierworkforce@bfwhospital.nhs.uk.

Alternative drinks

Alternative drinks are available such as mocktails. For more details please visit: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/top-10-non-alcoholic-drinks

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