What is a Unit of Alcohol?

What is a Unit of Alcohol?

A unit is no longer 'equivalent to a small glass of wine'. A typical glass of wine (175ml) contains between 2 and 3 units. A small glass of wine is at least 1.5 units - normally 1.6 to 1.8 units.

The Government Sensible Drinking website 2008 says...

One unit of alcohol is equivalent to 10ml of pure alcohol. As a rough guide:

• 1 pint of strong lager = 3 units
• 1 pint of ordinary lager, bitter or cider, 175ml glass of wine = 2 units
• 1 alcopop = 1.5 units
• 1 measure of spirits 25mls = 1 unit
• many wines are around 11 or 12 per cent alcohol, so a small glass (125mls) = 1.5 units

In fact, even this advice is slightly out of date when it comes to wine. Checking a wine rack with over 12 bottles of wine the lowest ABV was 13.5% and one was 14.5%. So a small glass (125ml) would be nearly 2 units.

The old measurement myth was highlighted on BBC TV recently when the newsreader said that a small glass of wine is 'one unit'. The BBC we're inundated with complaints from 'professionals' as being irresponsible. The BBC then did their own test half an hour later and part filled a small glass (?) - it was in fact a standard 175 ml glass, so even the description 'a small glass' was misleading - and divided the number of small glasses into a litre of the wine (13% ABV) and found that it was nearer 3 units per small glass.

How many alcoholics use a small glass? How many drink weak or halves of lager or beers?

The danger is that they will deceive themselves into thinking that they are consuming far less alcohol than in fact they are. If they go out on the road after 2 glasses, they could easily be well over the limit.

So we, The Clifton Clinic, advise our future clients that a standard measure of wine (175ml) is about 2.5 to 3 units of alcohol.