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Alcohol - Calculate Your Units

It is important to get to know how many units there are in the drinks you regularly consume. Check labels, ask bar staff or use the online Units Calculator from the NHS here.

Know Your Units - Online Calculator

Unfortunately you cannot just count each drink as a unit of alcohol.

The number of units depends on the different strength and size of each drink, so it can vary a lot.

As typical glass sizes have grown and popular drinks have increased in strength over the years, old rules of thumb about units have become out of date. Nowadays, a large glass of wine might well contain 3 units or more – about the same amount as a treble vodka.

The NHS has created a calculator to help you plan a night out, or help you work out how much you drank last night.

It is simple to use - just click Start, then click on your drink, choose a strength and volume then calculate the units. You can calculate and add up the units of multiple drinks.

The NHS recommends that men should not regularly drink more than 3-4 units of alcohol daily and women not more than 2-3 units.

Your Drinking and You NHS Booklet
Your Drinking and You NHS Booklet - [855 KB] Download an NHS booklet with the facts on alcohol, health harms and how to drink less. Uncover alcohol's hidden effects - drinking causes damage you cannot see.
Alcohol Units and You NHS Leaflet
Alcohol Units and You NHS Leaflet - [1.04 MB] Download an advice leaflet produced by the NHS for the Know Your Units - They All Add Up campaign. The NHS recommends that men should not regularly drink more than 3-4 units of alcohol daily and women not more than 2-3 units.
Alcohol and Pregnancy NHS Leaflet
Alcohol and Pregnancy NHS Leaflet - [527 KB] Download an advice leaflet produced by the NHS. Pregnant women or women trying to conceive should avoid drinking alcohol. If they do choose to drink, to protect the baby, they should not drink more than 1-2 units of alcohol once or twice a week and should not get drunk.