With Christmas parties and celebrations with friends and family, consumption of alcohol increases by 40 per cent in December, according to addictions charity Addaction. This not only causes tantrums, tears and office gossip, but also a spike in drink-driving related accidents and suicides. But many of us are drinking far too much on a regular basis. More than a quarter of all adults drink over the recommended amount of alcohol, 14 units a week for women and 21 for men, according to the latest figures from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC).
One unit is the equivalent of one 25ml single measure of whisky, a third of a pint of beer, or half a 175ml glass of wine. And rather than men, it’s middle-class professional women aged 45 to 64 who are now drinking the most, risking serious and irreversible effects on the body, experts warn.
A glass of wine a night doesn’t seem like much, but a standard 175ml serving contains 2.3 units of alcohol, adding up to 16.1 units over the course of a week – and putting women over the safe drinking limits. From damaging the heart muscle and re-wiring the brain to causing falls, fractures and infertility, here experts explain the sobering truth about drinking to excess…
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