A: Every alcohol drink contains ethanol and that’s what affects you, rather than the type of drink you choose.

False. A given volume of beer is more ‘dilute’ than the same volume of spirits or wine. This is why beer is served in larger glasses. When you drink a typical serving of beer, wine, or spirits, you end up consuming the same amount of ethanol.

False. There’s no single standard drink size across the world. While a standard unit in the UK contains eight grams of ethanol. In practice, this translates into a small glass of wine (125 ml), a pint of beer, or 25ml of spirits. Different countries use different definitions. However, within each country, a ‘standard’ unit is the same for a serving of beer, wine or spirits. The concept of a standard unit is important. It is roughly the amount of alcohol the body can process in an hour and helps consumers understand how much alcohol they are drinking.

True. The UK drinking guidelines offer advice on levels and patterns of drinking using standard units as a reference ⁽³⁾. The UK Chief Medical Officers’ guideline for both men and women is not to drink more than 14 units of beer, wine, or spirits a week on a regular basis to minimise any health risks from alcohol. Understanding the concept of a unit can help you relate your own drinking to recommendations that are consistent with a balanced lifestyle. Drinking in excess of recommended guidelines may increase your risk of harm.

A. Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol poses a significant hazard to your health. While drinking guidelines in the UK. set the recommended limit at 14 drinks, they also recommend spreading these out over at least 3 days.