Excess alcohol consumption can be harmful to your health. You can develop serious health problems such as liver damage, an increased risk of cancer or a heart attack. Alcohol is also high in calories.
What is a unit of alcohol and how much can I drink?
One unit is 10ml of pure alcohol. It is the amount of alcohol the average adult can process in an hour. The number of units in a drink is based on its size and alcohol strength. A pint of strong larger contains three, whereas a pint of low-strength lager has just over two units. Knowing your units will help you stay in control of your drinking.
To keep health risks from alcohol to a low level it is safest not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis.
If you regularly drink as much as 14 units per week, it is best to spread your drinking evenly over three of more days. If you have one or two heavy drinking episodes a week, you increase your risks of death resulting from long term illness or accidents and injuries.
A good way to cut down is to have several drink-free days each week.
Advice, support and treatment
Compass provide a free, confidential service for children and young people who need support around their own or another person’s drug or alcohol use. Young people under 18 can be referred to them and they can then work with them up to the age of 24
Harrow Recovery Centre is a recovery focused service provided by the Westminster drug project. It is available free to all Harrow residents aged over 18
One You from the NHS is here to help you get healthier and feel better with free tips, tools and support.
Drink Coach can help you work out how much you are drinking and if you are at risk of harming your health