One unit of alcohol is equal to 10ml of pure alcohol. A half pint of normal strength beer, lager or cider, for example, is equal to one unit of alcohol. There are a number of tools available to help pharmacy staff and patients identify units, such as the OneYou app.

On 8 January 2016, the Department of Health launched a consultation on proposed new guidelines to limit the health risks associated with the consumption of alcohol and the results of this are being analysed. The new guidelines for both men and women state:

• You are safest not to drink regularly more than 14 units per week, to keep health risks from drinking alcohol to a low level
• If you do drink as much as 14 units per week, it is best to spread this evenly over three days or more. If you have one or two heavy drinking sessions, you increase your risks of death from long term illnesses and from accidents and injuries
• The risk of developing a range of illnesses (including, for example, cancers of the mouth, throat and breast) increases with any amount you drink on
  a regular basis
• If you wish to cut down the amount you are drinking, try to have several drink-free days each week.

Some people are likely to be affected more by alcohol and should be more careful about their level of drinking on any one occasion, including: 

• Young adults 
• Older people 
• Those with low body weight 
• Those with other health problems 
• Those on medicines or other drugs.

Pregnancy and drinking 

The chief medical officer's guideline states that the safest approach for women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy is not to drink alcohol at all. Drinking in pregnancy can lead to long-term harm to the baby, with the greater the amount drunk, the greater the risk.