Reducing alcohol consumption
Current advice is that both men and women (non-pregnant) should consume no more than 14 units weekly with a maximum of 3 units a day.
Both men and women should have at least two alcohol free days each week and should be advised to avoid binge drinking.
When discussing alcohol consumption pharmacists should remember that patients frequently underestimate the volume of alcohol that they drink. They may also not understand what constitutes a unit of alcohol, and patients commonly calculate their alcohol intake in "drinks" or "bottles".
One unit of alcohol is equivalent to:
- Half a pint of standard strength beer, lager or cider (3-4% alcohol by vol).
- A small pub measure (25ml) of spirits (40%).
- A standard pub measure (50ml) of fortified wine such as port or sherry (20%).
Whilst 1.5 units is equivalent to:
- A small glass (125ml) of average strength wine (12%).
- A standard pub measure (35ml) of spirits (40%).
Brief interventions where a healthcare professional assesses alcohol intake and provides information and advice can reduce consumption by 25% in excessive drinkers. This may be as effective as more specialist interventions.7
AUDIT-C tool
Alcohol consumption can be assessed using the AUDIT score or the shortened version AUDIT-C. The AUDIT-C tool asks three questions and assigns a score dependent upon the response. A score of more than 5 is considered to indicate the patient has a high risk drinking profile, and a full AUDIT assessment and intervention is recommended.