Alcohol intake: measure for measure

doi:10.1136/bmj.323.7327.1439

BMJ 2001;323:1439-1440 ( 22-29 December )

Editorials

Alcohol intake: measure for measure

It's hard to calculate how much you are drinking $---$ but you should know

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The festive season is a testing time, and those who wish to drink sensibly might use the "unit of alcohol" $---$ a glass of wineor beer or a single measure of spirits $---$ as a yardstick. But whatis a unit, and how many is it safe todrink?

The discerning drinker could calculate the dose of ethanol in a drink knowing its volume and ethanol concentration. However,even the sober can find this difficult. Firstly, there are severalways of defining concentration. It is expressed as percentageethanol by volume (% v/v) in Europe and as percentage proof inthe United States, where 100% proof is 50% v/v (in England 100%proof was 57% v/v). The density of ethanol is 0.79 g/ml at roomtemperature, so, for example, 100 ml of ethanol 10% v/v containsalmost 8 g of ethanol. Secondly, concentration can differ widelyamong apparently similar drinks. The strengths of beers range. . . [Full text of this article]

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Time has come for mandatory unit labelling: Phil J Webster-Harrison and Andy G Barton
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Webster-Harrison, P. J, Barton, A. G (2002). Time has come for mandatory unit labelling. BMJ 324: 738-738 [Full text]

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