Understanding drugs and alcohol

How much is too much?

The NHS alcohol guidelines recommend no more than 14 units of alcohol a week, spread evenly across three days or more. That’s roughly six pints of lager (4% strength) or six 175ml glasses of wine (13% strength).

If you’re drinking more than this regularly, it may be time to seek help. 

Pregnant women and women trying to conceive should avoid drinking alcohol. Drinking in pregnancy can lead to long-term harm to the baby, and the risk increases the more you drink.

Signs of alcohol dependence include:

• Feeling shaky, sweaty, or sick when you don’t drink
• Drinking more over time to get the same effect
• Struggling to cut down or stop drinking
• Difficulty sleeping

This often leads to "relief drinking" to avoid withdrawal symptoms.

Not sure if you’re drinking too much? Take the DrinkCoach test

This quick and easy tool asks a few simple questions about your drinking habits and gives you a personalised score.

It will help you understand your drinking level, whether it could be affecting your health, and what steps to take next—whether that’s self-help tips or professional support. It only takes two minutes to find out!

Impacts of alcohol

Drinking too much alcohol can harm your health in many ways. It can:

• damage your liver, heart, and other organs
• increase your risk of depression, anxiety, and sleep problems
• affect your relationships, work, and everyday life.

Benefits of cutting down:

The immediate effects of cutting down include:

• feeling better in the mornings
• being less tired during the day
• better looking skin
• feeling more energetic
• better weight management

Long-term benefits include better mood, improved sleep quality, better concentration and judgement and reduced risk of disease such as cancer, liver and heart disease.

Cutting down safe

If you’re drinking above the recommended guidelines, visit the NHS website Tips on cutting down for practical tips to reduce your intake. Support services are also available. Visit [link to support page]

If you are dependent on alcohol, cutting back suddenly can be dangerous. If your drinking is impacting your work, health, social relationships or day-to-day life, support is available from our community services to reduce your drinking safely [link to support page]