The Risks Of Drinking Too Much

The number of units in a drink is based on the size of the drink and its alcohol strength.

New evidence around the health harms from regular drinking has emerged in recent years.

There's now a better understanding of the link between drinking and some illnesses, including a range of cancers.

The previously held position that some level of alcohol was good for the heart has been revised.

It's now thought that the evidence on a protective effect from moderate drinking is less strong than previously thought.

Low-risk drinking advice

To keep health risks from alcohol to a low level if you drink most weeks:

• men and women are advised not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis
• spread your drinking over 3 or more days if you regularly drink as much as 14 units a week
• try to have several drink-free days each week

If you're pregnant or think you could become pregnant, the safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all to keep risks to your baby to a minimum.

Find out more about pregnancy and alcohol

No "safe" drinking level

If you drink less than 14 units a week, this is considered low-risk drinking.

It's called "low risk" rather than "safe" because there's no safe drinking level.

Drinking more than 14 units a week over many years can increase your risk of:

• mouth cancer, throat cancer and breast cancer
• stroke
• heart disease
• liver disease
• brain damage, which may cause memory loss and changes in your behaviour

There's also evidence that regular drinking at high-risk levels can make your mental health worse.

Research has found strong links between drinking too much alcohol and self-harming, including suicide.

The effects of alcohol on your health will depend on how much you drink. The less you drink, the lower the health risks.

Read about alcohol units to work out how much alcohol there is in your drinks.

Binge drinking

Drinking too much alcohol too quickly on a single occasion is called binge drinking.

This means drinking more than 8 units of alcohol in a single session for men, or more than 6 units in a single session for women.

Binge drinking can increase your risk of:

• accidents resulting in injury, causing death in some cases
• misjudging risky situations
• losing self-control, like having unprotected sex or getting involved in violence

To reduce your health risks on a single occasion:

• limit how much you drink
• drink more slowly
• drink with food
• alternate your drinks with water or non-alcoholic drinks

Sexual Health Advice

• Sexual Health Advice - Introduction and Overview
• The MenB vaccine that helps protect against gonorrhoea
• Sexual Health - Mpox and its dangers for Gay Men
• What happens when you visit an STI Clinic
• Ejaculation issues are common sexual problems in men
• The Male Menopause for men in their late 40s to early 50s
• Help and care if you have been Sexually Assaulted
• Mental health issues and self-harm are common amongst gay men