A survey conducted in the South-East of England has revealed that more than 75% of people in Britain drink more than the recommended daily limit.
The research, performed at University College London and published online recently, aimed to show what alcohol consumption in England looks like when it is not under-reported. Do we drink too many alcoholic drinks?
The results are presented in the context of findings from international studies indicating that the amount of alcohol that is sold is considerably more than the amount we admit to consuming, with a 40-60% deficit suggesting that we have a tendency to under-report the amount we drink.
When corrected for this underestimation, the findings suggest that 44% of men and 31% of women exceed the recommend weekly alcohol limits of 21 units for men and 14 units for women.
When it comes to daily alcohol limits, correcting for under-reporting leaves 75% of men and 80% of women over the recommended limit, while overall data suggests that around half of us could be classed as binge-drinkers.
The findings are shocking in the sense that they suggest that some of us may be pretty clueless when it comes to estimating and keeping track of how much we are drinking.
Often, this is likely to be due to differences in measures between pub and home, as well as the tendency to top-up glasses without noticing how much is being added or consumed.
Taking care to notice the alcohol content of what you are drinking is important, too, since some drinks can vary greatly between brands or varieties.
Click HERE to check what your limits should be and get advice about drinking alcohol safely.
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