Understanding of alcohol consumption guidelines ‘extremely low’ among Irish adults

The number of Irish adults who understand HSE alcohol consumption guidelines is ‘extremely low’ according to a survey by DrinkAware.

The survey found that only 3% of adults know the low-risk guidelines for alcohol consumption, with over half of adults who drink alcohol admitting to binge drinking at some point over the past month.

According to HSE guidelines, women should consume no more than 11 standard drinks in a week, while men should drink no more than 17.

Dearbhla O’Brien, CEO at DrinkAware, said: “Awareness of what a standard drink is, is extremely low.

“A standard drink, as a rule of thumb, is a glass of beer or lager – and a pint would be two standard drinks.

“It’s also a small glass of wine, so that’s 100mls or a pub measure of spirits. When you add it up, drinking anything over three pints of beer in one sitting would be considered binge drinking.”

A need for awareness

The findings by DrinkAware highlight the urgent need for increased awareness surrounding alcohol consumption and managing alcohol intake.

Almost six in 10 Irish adults admit to drinking every week. However, according to the survey, over a third are seeking to reduce their alcohol consumption, and this desire rises significantly among young adults.

“Which is very encouraging,” says O’Brien.

“People are also familiarising themselves with the benefits of cutting back. You’ll look better, feel better, sleep better. You’ll lose weight and save money.

“There are quite tangible benefits that people can experience very quickly.”

Understanding how much you are drinking

The long-term impact of alcohol misuse is well documented, with physical and mental health issues such as depression, high blood pressure, problems with the immune system and liver damage all linked to heavy alcohol use.

So, if you are someone who enjoys a drink at home or during social occasions, it is important to understand how many standard drinks you are consuming in one sitting and in total throughout the week.

A single standard drink contains around 10 grams of pure alcohol. The below table provides an overview of different alcoholic beverages and the standard drink equivalent for each:

In addition to keeping track of the number of drinks you have had, and being mindful of how many drinks you are consuming, it can be helpful to:

• Choose smaller drinks e.g. swapping a large glass of wine for a small glass.
• Avoid drinking every day. Instead, aim for a set number of alcohol-free days each week and stick to them.
• Avoid having alcohol at home. Having alcohol within easy reach can make limiting your consumption more difficult.

Reducing alcohol intake or quitting drinking can be extremely difficult for individuals with more severe alcohol addiction and can have dangerous consequences for your health.

For this reason, it is recommended that anyone with alcohol dependency speaks to their doctor first, as they will be able to provide advice and support for reducing alcohol consumption safely.

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