Alcohol awareness

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 depends on its size and alcohol strength. A pint of strong larger contains three, whereas a pint of low-strength lager has about 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 drink as much as 14 units per week, it is best to spread your drinking over three of more days. If you have one or two heavy drinking episodes a week, you increase your risks of long term illness.

A good way to cut down is to have several drink-free days each week.

Advice, support and treatment

  • Compass provides a free, confidential service. It is for children and young people who need support around their own, or another’s drug or alcohol use. The service is for under-18s but they can stay with the service up to age of 24.
  • Harrow Recovery Centre is a recovery focused service provided by v-i-a (via). 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