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Drinkers do not understand units

77% of people don't know how many units of alcohol are in a glass of wine according to a recent survey by the Department of Health.

New YouGov poll results out recently show that English drinkers don't know exactly how much they are drinking. More than four out of five (82%) claim to know what a unit of alcohol is, yet 77 % don't know how many units are in a typical large glass of wine.

More than half (55 %) of those questioned thought a large glass of wine (ABV 12 %) would contain two units, when it actually contains three. More than a third (35 %) did not know that an average pint of beer (ABV 4 %) contains two units, while nearly three out of five (58 %) did not know a double gin and tonic also contains two units.
Public Health Minister, Dawn Primarolo, said:

"Glass sizes have grown larger and the strength of many wines and beers has increased, so it's no wonder some of us have lost track of our alcohol consumption.

"This campaign is all about helping people understand how many units are in their favourite drinks, and helping them to keep an eye on their intake for the good of their long-term health.

"Excessive alcohol consumption is proven to play a significant role in the development of numerous diseases, including several cancers, heart disease and stroke. That's why this campaign is so important to the public's health."

Unit awareness also appears to get worse with age: 32 % of drinkers aged 18-24 correctly said that a large glass of 12 % ABV wine contains three units, compared to just 18 % of drinkers over 55. And 69 % of drinkers aged 18-24 correctly stated that a pint of 4 % ABV beer contains two units, compared to 57 % of drinkers over 55.

The poll revealed that more than half (52 %) of adult drinkers in England drink alcohol at least two to three times a week, and one in ten drinks every day.

To help people add up the units in their drinks, the Government has launched a new online calculator that can be downloaded to a computer desktop.

Article originally published on 03/06/2008 by DryOutNow.com, the alcohol specific website for Addiction Advisor

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