What is a standard drink?

What is a standard drink?

In Ireland a standard drink has about 10 grams of pure alcohol in it. In the UK a standard drink, also called a unit of alcohol, has about 8 grams of pure alcohol.

Here are some examples of a standard drink.

• A pub measure of spirits (35.5ml)
• A small glass of wine (12.5% volume)
• A half pint of normal beer
• An alcopop (275ml bottle)

A bottle of wine at 12.5% alcohol contains about seven standard drinks.

What are the low-risk drinking guidelines?

Low risk weekly guidelines for adults are:

• up to 14 standard drinks in a week for women, and
• up to 21 standard drinks in a week for men.

Drinks should be spaced out over the week, not consumed in one sitting. Drinking more than the safe levels may cause harm.

 Remember, drinks measures are not always the same. What you get in a pub and what you pour for yourself could be very different.

These weekly limits do not apply to teenagers or to people who are pregnant, ill, run-down or on medication. It is healthier for teenagers not to drink alcohol.

What is a binge?

Binge drinking is a term used to describe an occasion when we drink too much. It is when we have 6 or more standard drinks. Binge drinking is a form of harmful drinking that is likely to increase our risk of accidents, injuries, violence and poisoning.

Having more than 5 standard drinks at a time can seriously increase the harmful effects of drinking.

How long do the effects of drinking last?

In general you start to feel the effects of alcohol within 5 or 10 minutes of drinking. It then takes one hour for every standard drink you take to work through your system.

Fact or Myth

Alcohol problems are mostly caused by 'alcoholics'.

Myth: Immediate problems like motor accidents, violent assaults and accidental injury are mostly caused by moderate drinkers who occasionally overdo it.

Drinking coffee sobers you up?

Myth: Your liver is like a car with one gear. It can only work at one speed. So there is only one cure for drunkenness - time. Drinking coffee will make you wide awake and drunk. Taking a cold shower will make you cold, wet and drunk.

A 'blackout' is when you pass out from drink?

Myth: It's a type of memory loss. Your friends can recite what you did, but you can't. It is an early warning sign to cut down.

It is not safe to drink when you're pregnant?

Fact: The alcohol enters your baby's bloodstream, therefore the safest thing for your baby is not to drink at all. Regular heavy drinking can cause foetal alcohol syndrome, which causes serious developmental problems for your baby's development.

Women can't 'hold' their drink as well as men?

Fact: Men have more bodily fluids than women, so alcohol is more diluted in their systems. This goes even for women and men of the same height and build.

Alcohol causes as much damage to society as heroin?

Myth: Alcohol causes much more damage than heroin and all the other illegal drugs put together. It is a factor in 88% of public order offences, 34% of marital breakdowns and 33% of fatal road accidents.

There's nothing to do around here except drink?

Myth: Drinking is a big feature of Irish social life, but is not the only pastime. Take a minute to think of three non-drinking things you could do. It's just a matter of looking at things differently.

Fact Myth

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