People Have a Hard Time Estimating Alcohol Consumption

One of the more difficult aspects of problematic alcohol consumption is that many people do not correctly estimate the amount of alcohol they have had. As the drinking escalates and cognitive functions are affected, assessing alcohol consumption becomes more challenging.

A report from the UK highlights the difficulties that people have in understanding their levels of alcohol consumption. Alcohol awareness group Drinkaware conducted a study to determine whether the general public in the UK can measure their alcoholic drinks in terms of alcohol units.

The survey, issued to over 4,000 adults asked respondents various questions regarding alcohol units. A majority of the participants (85 percent) had heard of alcohol units, but less than half could equate an alcohol unit to an actual drink.

In addition, the survey found that only 30 percent of women and 46 percent of men could look at a list of beverages and identify which drinks were approximately equal to one unit of alcohol. Less than a third of respondents (29 percent of women and 32 percent of men) were informed about the daily unit guidelines for alcohol consumption for their own gender.

Drinkaware responded to the survey’s results with a plan to help consumers understand the amount of alcohol they were drinking. Just in time for New Year’s festivities, Drinkaware issued 2.3 million unit and calorie counters to households across the country.

In order to help consumers understand the equivalent alcohol units for particular beverages, Drinkaware’s unit calculator features the ability to keep a running total of alcohol units based on the drinks they are consuming. The unit calculator also promotes three key tips for reducing dangerous alcohol consumption behaviors.

The three tips are:

Swap your usual glass for a smaller one
Before you start drinking, set yourself a limit and stick to it
Swap a glass of wine for a relaxing bath to relieve stress

The purpose of the report and the unit calculators, says Chris Sorek, Chief Executive of Drinkaware, is to help consumers understand the unit equivalents of the drinks they consume and relate those within the parameters of the recommended daily guidelines. While Drinkaware knows that changing UK drinking culture isn’t a quick fix, helping consumers make good decisions about alcohol consumption with an easy tool is a big step.

The goal of Drinkaware is to give consumers a way to avoid drinking to excess by knowing how alcohol units translate into everyday alcohol consumption.