One in three men drink beyond weekly safe limits

Health Watch with Dr. John Ryan

What are the recommended safe limits of alcohol drinking?

■ Men should drink no more than 21 units of alcohol per week (and no more than four units in any one day).

■ Women should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol per week (and no more than three units in any one day).

■ Pregnant women. The exact amount that is safe is not known. Therefore, advice from the world health organisation is that pregnant women and women trying to become pregnant should not drink at all. If you do chose to drink when you are pregnant then limit it to one or two units, once or twice a week. And never get drunk.

In general, the more you drink above the safe limits, the more harmful alcohol is likely to be. And remember, binge drinking can be harmful even though the weekly total may not seem too high. For example, if you only drink once or twice a week, but when you do you drink 4-5 pints of beer each time, or a bottle of wine each time, then this is a risk to your health. Also, even one or two units can be dangerous if you drive, operate machinery, or take some types of medication.

What is a unit of alcohol?

One unit of alcohol is 10ml (1cl) by volume, or 8g by weight, of pure alcohol. For example:

One unit of alcohol is about equal to:

■ Half a pint of ordinary strength beer, lager, or cider (3-4% alcohol by volume), or

■ A small pub measure (25ml) of spirits (40% alcohol by volume), or

■ A standard pub measure (50ml) of fortified wine such as sherry or port (20% alcohol by volume).

■ There are one and a half units of alcohol in:

■ A small glass (125ml) of ordinary strength wine (12% alcohol by volume), or

■ A standard pub measure (35ml) of spirits (40% alcohol by volume).

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.

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