Units of alcohol per week...

Hector Savage · 23-10-2019 12:29pm #1

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/alcohol-support/calculating-alcohol-units/

men and women are advised not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis

Seriously ? I thought I didn't drink much and I probably average about 18/20 units a week, so according to this I drink too much ...

Is there an Irish version to this nonsense, I thought the "limit" should have been around 30 units a week ...

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 23-10-2019 12:43pm

Irish recommended limits

The guidelines are:
11 standard drinks (110g pure alcohol) spread out over the week for women, with at least two alcohol-free days
17 standard drinks (170g pure alcohol) spread out over the week for men, with at least two alcohol-free days
Drinks should be spaced out over the week and should never be saved up to drink on one occasion. These guidelines are intended for adults only; there is no safe level of alcohol intake for those below the legal drinking age of 18 years.

23-10-2019 2:30pm

14 units would be a quiet night never mind a weekly limit.

Plumbthedepths · 23-10-2019 2:32pm

Reed Obedient Stepladder wrote: »

14 units would be a quiet night never mind a weekly limit.

You may have a problem, just saying.

Thelonious Monk · 23-10-2019 2:33pm

If you enjoy a few drinks and it's not affecting your life, why not? You're going to get cancer one way or another so may as well enjoy your life.

El_Duderino 09 · 23-10-2019 2:38pm

These threads are always amusing. We all this there’s probably no good amount of alcohol. Every now and again you’ll see research suggesting small amount of red wine is has a positive impact on x y or x. So why be annoyed at the research when it says that, in general, booze isn’t good for you but 18 units a week will only cause a bit of harm.

Everyone knows booze isn’t good for you. There’s no point getting cross about it or ignoring it. It’s a matter of acknowledging it and choosing to adhere to it or not and accept the risks and damage that comes with your behaviour. Same as everything else in life.

JohnnyFlash · 23-10-2019 2:39pm

Depends on the week doesn’t it? You might be on a ‘health buzz’ for a week and not drink at all. Then other weeks you go at it good and heavy.

Like I did the first 4 days of the Galway racing festival this year. Then had a wedding down in Clare on the Friday, the afters in the Saturday, and had a date lined up with a horny divorcee in Limerick in the Sunday night. Drank over 100 pints of Guinness that week.

Then stayed off it the week after as I was feeling a small bit ropey.

corner of hells · 23-10-2019 2:54pm

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

Depends on the week doesn’t it? You might be on a ‘health buzz’ for a week and not drink at all. Then other weeks you go at it good and heavy.

Like I did the first 4 days of the Galway racing festival this year. Then had a wedding down in Clare on the Friday, the afters in the Saturday, and had a date lined up with a horny divorcee in Limerick in the Sunday night. Drank over 100 pints of Guinness that week.

Then stayed off it the week after as I was feeling a small bit ropey.

I'd say the divorcee would've been better off sitting on one of her fingers after you drank your hundred pints.

Raconteuse · 23-10-2019 2:55pm

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

If you enjoy a few drinks and it's not affecting your life, why not? You're going to get cancer one way or another so may as well enjoy your life.

Everyone is going to get cancer?

spurshero · 23-10-2019 2:56pm

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

Depends on the week doesn’t it? You might be on a ‘health buzz’ for a week and not drink at all. Then other weeks you go at it good and heavy.

Like I did the first 4 days of the Galway racing festival this year. Then had a wedding down in Clare on the Friday, the afters in the Saturday, and had a date lined up with a horny divorcee in Limerick in the Sunday night. Drank over 100 pints of Guinness that week.

Then stayed off it the week after as I was feeling a small bit ropey.

You should get a medal or meet the president . Massive achievement

TuringBot47 · 23-10-2019 3:00pm

Raconteuse wrote: »

Everyone is going to get cancer?

Apparently when the 5g mobile network is rolled out. But at least you'll have great download speeds for an online consultant.

SEPT 23 1989 · 23-10-2019 3:02pm

pulling it back to 30 pints a week seems reasonable

jimgoose · 23-10-2019 3:05pm

Raconteuse wrote: »

Everyone is going to get cancer?

TuringBot47 wrote: »

Apparently when the 5g mobile network is rolled out. But at least you'll have great download speeds for an online consultant.

Definitely, because 5G uses the same frequency range as UHF TV broadcasts, so if you watched Bosco or The Fall Guy back in the day, you're fuckin' zapped, young-fella me wallpaper. :cool:

meeeeh · 23-10-2019 3:06pm

I'm fine with that. An odd time I'll go over the limit but if you work and have a family it really isn't hard to be under the recommended level.

runawaybishop · 23-10-2019 3:06pm

Its all bull****.

From QI a couple years back

"In Britain, 21 units of alcohol per week is the recommended allowance, but in Poland it is 12.5, in Canada 23.75, in the USA 24.5, in Denmark and South Africa 31.5 and in Australia 35. However, if you drink between 21-30 units, you belong to a group of people who have lowest mortality rate in Britain. You actually have to consume 63 units per week, or one bottle of wine a day, to have the same death risk as a teetotaller. The man who invented the system admitted the number was made up. Lifestyle and problems with drink are more likely to harm you."

jimgoose · 23-10-2019 3:07pm

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

pulling it back to 30 pints a week seems reasonable

Agreed, Chief.

hurler32 · 23-10-2019 3:10pm

Will alcohol be like smoking in years to come ?
Anyone I recall as a heavy drinker in my youth died well before their time but they were 7 nights a week men .

Wayne Jarvis · 23-10-2019 3:12pm

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

Depends on the week doesn’t it? You might be on a ‘health buzz’ for a week and not drink at all. Then other weeks you go at it good and heavy.

Like I did the first 4 days of the Galway racing festival this year. Then had a wedding down in Clare on the Friday, the afters in the Saturday, and had a date lined up with a horny divorcee in Limerick in the Sunday night. Drank over 100 pints of Guinness that week.

Then stayed off it the week after as I was feeling a small bit ropey.

I'm not surprised to see this post was thanked by Bigbagofcans

23-10-2019 3:13pm

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

pulling it back to 30 pints a week seems reasonable

Reminds me of my uncle years ago. The Doctor told him he had to give up the fags. He went in to the doctor a few weeks later and the doctor said "So, have you given them up?" "No, but I've cut them back a lot". Doctor says how many are you down to a day? "I'm down to about 60 a day now".

23-10-2019 3:16pm

meeeeh wrote: »

I'm fine with that. An odd time I'll go over the limit but if you work and have a family it really isn't hard to be under the recommended level.

Neither work or family or both make that limit easy to stay under, certainly not work since a large number of nights out are with work friends.

jimgoose · 23-10-2019 3:18pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Reminds me of my uncle years ago. The Doctor told him he had to give up the fags. He went in to the doctor a few weeks later and the doctor said "So, have you given them up?" "No, but I've cut them back a lot". Doctor says how many are you down to a day? "I'm down to about 60 a day now".

I'd a granduncle who died of the drink some years back. Little wonder, he lived on floury spuds, fat bacon and Paddy whiskey, and he was only 94.

Raconteuse · 23-10-2019 3:23pm

runawaybishop wrote: »

Its all bull****.

From QI a couple years back

"In Britain, 21 units of alcohol per week is the recommended allowance, but in Poland it is 12.5, in Canada 23.75, in the USA 24.5, in Denmark and South Africa 31.5 and in Australia 35. However, if you drink between 21-30 units, you belong to a group of people who have lowest mortality rate in Britain. You actually have to consume 63 units per week, or one bottle of wine a day, to have the same death risk as a teetotaller. The man who invented the system admitted the number was made up. Lifestyle and problems with drink are more likely to harm you."

But isn't drinking lifestyle? And aren't problems with drink = drinking too much units of alcohol?
"You actually have to consume 63 units per week, or one bottle of wine a day, to have the same death risk as a teetotaller" - just to clarify, does this mean that those who drink a bottle of wine a day have the same life expectancy as a teetotaller?

Reed Obedient Stepladder wrote: »

Neither work or family or both make that limit easy to stay under, certainly not work since a large number of nights out are with work friends.

When they say family they mean children.

Increasingly worse hangovers is enough of an incentive for me anyway.

harry Bailey esq · 23-10-2019 3:37pm

Hector Savage wrote: »

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/alcohol-support/calculating-alcohol-units/

Seriously ? I thought I didn't drink much and I probably average about 18/20 units a week, so according to this I drink too much ...

Is there an Irish version to this nonsense, I thought the "limit" should have been around 30 units a week ...

There is, as srameen rightfully pointed out. The difference being an Irish unit has slightly more alcohol than a UK unit. I tallyed up my own intake and I regularly exceed 30 units a week, Irish units. I reckon the average Joe would put away 30 units in 2-3 sittings. I think me abacus is f*@#d also.

runawaybishop · 23-10-2019 3:38pm

Raconteuse wrote: »

But isn't drinking lifestyle? And aren't problems with drink = drinking too much units of alcohol?
"You actually have to consume 63 units per week, or one bottle of wine a day, to have the same death risk as a teetotaller" - just to clarify, does this mean that those who drink a bottle of wine a day have the same life expectancy as a teetotaller?

Yes, basically. Some alcohol is good for you.

Using our longevity tool, and holding all factors constant (gender, age, race, general health, exercise habits, marital status, etc.) besides level of alcohol consumption, the relationship between alcohol intake and longevity can be clearly seen. We ran the numbers for a 55 year old Caucasian woman in very good health, with an average build (5’4”, 120 lbs), and an exercise regime of 1-2 times per week. This woman is married, has completed a full college education, has never smoked, and does not have diabetes. The teetotaler (0 drinks/week) and the excessive drinker (8+ drinks/week) were projected to live to 92 and 93 years old, respectively. The same person having one drink per week was projected to live to 94, and the moderate drinker (2-7 drinks/week) was projected to live 95 years

"https://www.blueprintincome.com/tools/life-expectancy-calculator-how-long-will-i-live/info/alcohol"

Chief medical officer in the UK saying they were "plucked out of the air"
https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/alcohol-limits-were-plucked-out-of-the-air-332869.html

edit: more info directly related to the new UK guidelines here

https://life.spectator.co.uk/articles/the-new-drinking-guidelines-are-based-on-massaged-evidence/

Hector Savage · 23-10-2019 4:27pm

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

Depends on the week doesn’t it? You might be on a ‘health buzz’ for a week and not drink at all. Then other weeks you go at it good and heavy.

Like I did the first 4 days of the Galway racing festival this year. Then had a wedding down in Clare on the Friday, the afters in the Saturday, and had a date lined up with a horny divorcee in Limerick in the Sunday night. Drank over 100 pints of Guinness that week.

Then stayed off it the week after as I was feeling a small bit ropey.

Thats 238 units of alcohol, or 17 weeks worth of "healthy drinking" according to NHS.

That is a lot of drink and wouldn't recommend it , but the fact that the NHS is saying just under 6 pints of Guinness A WEEK is the healthy limit for drinking seems a bit ridicolous.

I have started logging my drinking for pure curiosity and interest and I am at 42 units for the last 2 weeks when I started logging it.

I don;t even get drunk on this amount , and according to the NHS I have a problem ???

GERRUPPP OURRRA DA!!!

23-10-2019 4:29pm

Raconteuse wrote: »

When they say family they mean children.

Increasingly worse hangovers is enough of an incentive for me anyway.

Plenty of people with kids still enjoy an active social life and go out drinking regularly, some disappear off the face of the earth and give up on having the craic but most do not.

Hector Savage · 23-10-2019 4:30pm

and since there seems to be different methods, the one I am using is

* strength (ABV) x volume (ml) ÷ 1,000 = units

Raconteuse · 23-10-2019 4:33pm

Reed Obedient Stepladder wrote: »

Plenty of people with kids still enjoy an active social life and go out drinking regularly, some disappear off the fact of the earth but many do not.

Shur who said they don't.

It's not just a case of either getting pissed every time you go out, or disappearing off the face of the earth.

That poster said nothing about social life ending. Just that they don't get drunk much when they go out. And understandably. Hangovers are bad enough without children.

Sky King · 23-10-2019 4:34pm

hurler32 wrote: »

Anyone I recall as a heavy drinker in my youth died well before their time but they were 7 nights a week men .

I am surprised you recall anything if you were a heavy drinker in your youth.

El_Duderino 09 · 23-10-2019 4:40pm

Hector Savage wrote: »

Thats 238 units of alcohol, or 17 weeks worth of "healthy drinking" according to NHS.

That is a lot of drink and wouldn't recommend it , but the fact that the NHS is saying just under 6 pints of Guinness A WEEK is the healthy limit for drinking seems a bit ridicolous.

I have started logging my drinking for pure curiosity and interest and I am at 42 units for the last 2 weeks when I started logging it.

I don;t even get drunk on this amount , and according to the NHS I have a problem ???

GERRUPPP OURRRA DA!!!

It’s not the NHS’ job to find a limit that gets you drunk and makes you feel good about the amount you’ve had. It’s just their job to tell people what’s an amount, beyond which they’ll likely cause serious harm.

I know I went well over the recommendation at the weekend. It’s not the recommendation’s fault.

Oasis1974 · 23-10-2019 4:41pm

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

Depends on the week doesn’t it? You might be on a ‘health buzz’ for a week and not drink at all. Then other weeks you go at it good and heavy.

Like I did the first 4 days of the Galway racing festival this year. Then had a wedding down in Clare on the Friday, the afters in the Saturday, and had a date lined up with a horny divorcee in Limerick in the Sunday night. Drank over 100 pints of Guinness that week.

Then stayed off it the week after as I was feeling a small bit ropey.

Was the jacks in a bad way just out of curiosity mean to try that feat myself the 100 pints of Guinness.

Units of alcohol per week...

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