A million women drink DOUBLE Government alcohol guidelines

 

Last updated at 15:31pm on 13th December 2007 Comments

Almost one million women are drinking double the recommended amount of alcohol

 

Britain's alcohol crisis is up to three times worse than the Government has suggested, it emerged today.

Almost one million women are drinking double the recommended amount and nearly one in 10 men consumes 50 units a week.

 

The new figures from the Office for National Statistics - which updates information contained in the official General Household Survey for 2005 - provide the first accurate picture of middle-class dependence on alcohol.

 

For the first time officials have calculated the true amount drunk, taking account of consumption of stronger "new world" wine and the prevalence of larger pub measures.

 

It shows that the proportion of women drinking 35 units a week - three and a half bottles of red wine - has trebled to six per cent.

 

More than one in five women are drinking over 14 units a week - up from 13 per cent under previous calculations.

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And a third of men are drinking more than weekly guidelines, compared with the old estimate of one in four.

The change means a glass of wine now counts as two units instead of one and puts millions in a new category of "danger drinkers".

The figures show that on average, every adult is drinking over 14 units a week - the equivalent of just four and a half glasses of strong wine - which is a third more than the Government estimated.

The changes disproportionately hit women. Average weekly consumption for them has leaped by 45 per cent - with the average working woman drinking a bottle of red wine a week.

 

It also means relaxing with just two glasses of wine after work - four units - puts you in the category of a binge drinker.

Guidelines suggest women should drink no more than 14 units a week and men 21 units.

 

Eileen Goddard, who wrote the report, said: "These rises are breathtaking. It means we have been dramatically underestimating the amount that women and the middle-class are consuming. It seems far more people had a problem than we thought."

Today's report, Estimating Alcohol Consumption, was calculated by asking people the size of the glass of wine drunk. The study assumed the alcohol content of the wine was 12.5 per cent, whereas the earlier figures were based on consumed units of a small glass at 9 per cent proof.

 

Ms Goddard said: "In the older days people really did drink just a small glass but in the last few years they have turned into goldfish bowls."

 

Frank Soodeen, of the charity Alcohol Concern, said: "There's clearly a big gap between how much people think they drink and how much they actually drink.

 

"The current lack of awareness may mean that many of the large numbers of people currently drinking at harmful or hazardous levels aren't aware that their heavy drinking is putting them at risk in the long run."

Today's report comes after figures showed hospital admissions relating to alcohol have jumped by 40 per cent in London in just three years.

The Unit system confuses me :confused:

I used to understand it but then they revealed al the alchohol contents had gone doolally.

 

I knew that one 125ml glass of wine would be acceptable to drive. Except that that was apparently based on old measures which had half the alcohol content of modern wines. Which is my usual process of don't touch any alcohol if i'm driving is probably safest