Alcohol units: How many units are in your favourite drink?

‘Tis the season where we enjoy knocking back the booze, and indulging in festive tipples like eggnog and mulled wine.

But few of us know how many units are in our after favourite alcoholic beverages.

MailOnline has now created a quiz, allowing you to guess just how many units are in 16 different drinks, stretching from wine to beer and espresso martinis to margaritas.

MailOnline has now created a quiz, allowing you to guess just how many units are in 16 different drinks, stretching from wine to beer and espresso martinis to margaritas

Official data has shown the UK actually ranks middle of the pack for alcohol consumption, behind France and Germany

It comes after a survey revealed almost three-quarters of adults underestimate the amount of wine in a 250ml glass.

Shown the large glass, containing a third of a bottle, 70 per cent polled believed it was a medium or small glass.

The survey, by Direct Line Motor Insurance, also showed just 22 per cent correctly identified a double measure when shown a serving of gin in a glass.

Some 59 per cent believed the double measure to be only a single shot of the drink, nicknamed ‘mother’s ruin’.

Despite Brits frequently underestimating how much they may be drinking, separate data showed they actually drink less than their European counterparts.

An Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report found Brits drank 9.7 litres of pure alcohol per adult in 2020 — 0.1 less than the EU average.

It was the equivalent of around nine pints of low-strength beer or six large glasses of wine a week.

Latvia had the highest rate with 12.1 litres per adult during the year, while France had 10.4 and Germans drank 10.6.

Britons are urged not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis — the equivalent of six pints of lager or 10 small glasses of wine. The data showed most people were drinking above this on average.

Americans are advised not to drink more than 14 small cans of beer a week for men and seven small glasses of wine for women.

Drinking too much over the long term increases the risk of a catalogue of illnesses, including heart disease, stroke, liver disease and cancer. 

How many units are in these two glasses? Only 15 per cent guessed right for wine, whereas 23 per cent knew the answer for gin. ANSWER: Wine: 3.2 units, Gin: 1.8 units

Responding to Direct Line Motor Insurance’s survey of 2,000 people, Andrew Misell, from Alcohol Change UK, said: ‘We’ve seen a big shift in drinking habits in recent years with more and more of us drinking at home.

‘But, as this study has shown, many people are unsure of the size of the drinks they’re pouring themselves, and often underestimate how much they’re having.

‘This can lead to them drinking more than they intended without realising.

‘If you’re drinking at home, it’s smart to get in the habit of checking the units in your drinks, keeping a running tally, and staying under 14 units a week.’

DrinkAware, the national charity working to prevent alcohol misuse, advises people to ‘take the guesswork out of pouring’ by getting an alcohol measuring cup, or using ordinary kitchen scales.

The survey found almost 40 per cent of drinkers never check how much alcohol they pour at home. 

Earlier this year, Professor Julia Sinclair, chair of the addictions faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, warned millions of Britons are causing themselves ‘silent harm’ through drinking too much.

People drink at home, failing to keep track of how much they are consuming, and encourage each other to have more, she said.

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DO YOU DRINK TOO MUCH ALCOHOL? THE 10 QUESTIONS THAT REVEAL YOUR RISK

One screening tool used widely by medical professionals is the AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Tests). Developed in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, the 10-question test is considered to be the gold standard in helping to determine if someone has alcohol abuse problems.

The test has been reproduced here with permission from the WHO.

To complete it, answer each question and note down the corresponding score.

YOUR SCORE:

0-7: You are within the sensible drinking range and have a low risk of alcohol-related problems.

Over 8: Indicate harmful or hazardous drinking.

8-15: Medium level of risk. Drinking at your current level puts you at risk of developing problems with your health and life in general, such as work and relationships. Consider cutting down (see below for tips).

16-19: Higher risk of complications from alcohol. Cutting back on your own may be difficult at this level, as you may be dependent, so you may need professional help from your GP and/or a counsellor.

20 and over: Possible dependence. Your drinking is already causing you problems, and you could very well be dependent. You should definitely consider stopping gradually or at least reduce your drinking. You should seek professional help to ascertain the level of your dependence and the safest way to withdraw from alcohol.

Severe dependence may need medically assisted withdrawal, or detox, in a hospital or a specialist clinic. This is due to the likelihood of severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the first 48 hours needing specialist treatment.