A recent survey conducted by the British Office for National Statistics, a group with a lot of time on their hands, has figured out that we’ve all been drinking more without even trying. Alcohol consumption in the UK is measured by units. These units were originally calculated in the 1970’s indicating that a glass of table wine, a single shot of spirits, or half a pint of beer equaled one alcohol unit. Since drinking glasses have gotten larger and alcohol by volume in many beverages has increased, the new measures put a glass of wine at two units and a large can of strong beer, 6.5% or better, as three units. Uh oh.
But wait, it gets worse. The British measure their drinks in milliliters. A small 4.5% alcohol beer is a half pint, 284 ml, or 9.6 ounces. A large, over 6.5% abv beer is not a full pint, it’s actually 440 ml, or 14.9 ounces. Small beer is 1 unit, large beer is 3 units. In the U.S., we drink a lot of 12 ounce beers over 6% alcohol. This works out to be a 2 unit beer. So congratulations! You’ve just doubled your drinking without even trying! Your parents should be proud.
In order to combat the idea that you’ve turned into a full blown lush, the Office for National Statistics has come up with a clever solution. Previously it was suggested that men consume no more than 15.8 units a week. It’s now been raised to 19.9 units, a 26% increase. Hooray, we’re not drunks anymore! If you’ve been calculating along at home, this works out to about 10 good beers a week. Uh oh again. Maybe we are drunks after all…
Charts, and in-depth explanations on all of this can be found on the BBC News website.
