Alternative 2: Making An Estimate By Calculating The Number Of Units Of Alcohol You Are Drinking In A Typical Week:
This is a relatively unreliable way to determine whether or not you are physically addicted to alcohol. However, it can provide further confirmation for you if you remain a little uncertain regarding your need for detoxification. The reason it is a little unreliable is because people's bodies vary so much from one to another. One person may be able to deal with less alcohol than another, just because of the way they have been born. In particular, there is no doubt, that on average, women more easily suffer from the adverse effects of alcohol use than do men - including becoming physically addicted more quickly and with less regular alcohol use than men.
As a rule of thumb, a man drinking more than 100 units of alcohol weekly is likely to become physically addicted in good time, and a woman drinking more than 70 units of alcohol weekly is likely to become physically addicted in time.
You can work out your daily units of alcohol consumption by using the following calculation:
(Litres of drink consumed in a day) TIMES ('% abv') of the particular drink EQUALS (units of alcohol).
EXAMPLE 1:
So for example, if you are drinking 4 pints of Stella Artois daily, and nothing else, then your total units will be:
4 pints = 2 litres (plus a little extra). %abv of
Stella = 5% (infact 5.2% to be precise). Thus total daily units = 2 TIMES 5 EQUALS 10.
Thus total weekly units = 70 units. As such you are unlikely to be physically addicted if you are
male, although you will doubtless cause yourself damage if you continue to drink at these levels
for a period of time.
EXAMPLE 2:
If you are drinking 1 bottle of spirits daily, and nothing else then your total units will be:
1 bottle EQUALS 3/4 litre. (Sometimes 1 litre).
% abv of spirits usually equals 40%.
Thus, 3/4 TIMES 40 = 30 units daily.
Thus total weekly units will be 210 units - you are highly likely to be physically addicted drinking at these levels.
The % abv is the alcohol content of the particular drink you are consuming - it is always recorded on the label of the can or bottle of the drink- have a look. 'abv' stands for 'Alcohol-by-Volume'.
To work out how many units of alcohol you are drinking you may need to convert pints to litres, and you will also need to know the '% abv' of the different types of alcohol you are drinking.
As a rough approximation, 2 pints = just over 1 litre (1.13 litres to be precise).
- Beer varies from 3% abv to 16% abv.
- Wine is typically 12% abv.
- Spirits are typically 40% abv.
- Licquers are usually in the region of 15 - 20% abv.
There are two important points to take away when calculating units:
- As far as your physical health is concerned, there is no known difference between drinking spirits and drinking wine or beer. It is nothing to do with the type of drink you use. It is everything to do with the total amount of actual alcohol that you consume - this is calculated by units. Don't fall into the trap of telling yourself that you "only drink beer/wine" and thus are not alcoholic - what kind of drink you use has absolutely nothing to do with it.
- Don't fall into the trap of underestimating your units by using the old fashioned estimates. The old estimates of units - "one unit = half a pint of beer or one glass of wine" are completely out-ofdate. The reasons for this are due to the 'drinks industry'. There has been a slow but sure increase in the amount of alcohol in commonly drunk beer and wine (% abv), and a slow but sure increase in the size of wine glasses in pubs and wine bars/restaurants. Whereas in times-gone-by a typical pint of bitter was 3% abv, it is now the case that commonly consumed lagers (Stella and Kronenberg) are in the region of 5% abv. Equally wine has increased from 8 or 9% abv to 12 or 13% abv. In the meantime, wine glasses have increased in size. If you go out these days and order a large glass of wine, you are probably drinking approximately 3 units per glass (a large difference from the old 1 unit per glass). In effect if you are female and are drinking more than 3 large glasses of wine per night, then you are at risk of becoming physically addicted to alcohol in due course. If you are male and are drinking more than 5 pints of Stella or Kronenberg per night, then you are at risk of developing physical addiction to alcohol in due course.
