Alcohol misuse: tackling the UK epidemic - London

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BMA Board of Science
Understanding recommended drinking guidelines
Much of the strategy to reduce alcohol-related harm in the UK focuses on recommended drinking
guidelines. While the majority of people are aware of the existence of these guidelines, there is
evidence that few can accurately recall them. 201-203
A 2007 ONS survey of adults in the UK found that
69 per cent had heard of the recommended drinking daily benchmarks; however, 36 per cent of
these people did not know what they were. 204
It is also apparent that many people are confused by
these guidelines, and in particular, about what a unit means, and about the relationship between
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units and glass sizes and drink strengths. Eighty five per cent of those surveyed in 2007 had heard
of measuring alcohol consumption in units, and in general, the more people drank, the more likely
they were to have heard of units. 204
Individuals aged under 65 were more likely to have heard of units
compared to the older age group. 204
Those in routine and manual occupations were less likely to have
heard of measuring alcohol in units compared to those in the managerial and professional
occupational grouping. 204
In relation to particular drink types, approximately one third of frequent (at
least once a week) beer drinkers (37%) and a quarter of frequent wine drinkers (23%) and frequent
spirits drinkers (28%) were not aware of the number of units in what they were drinking. 204
For each
of these drink types, awareness of the number of units they were drinking was lower among
individuals who drank them less frequently. 204
Just under half (45%) of all individuals who consumed
alcopops frequently were not aware of the number of units in what they were drinking. 204
Labelling of alcoholic beverage containers would be a useful method for providing explanatory
guidance on recommended drinking guidelines and for supporting other alcohol control policies.
Research following the introduction of mandatory warning labels on alcoholic beverages in the USA
in 1989 found that, while the warning labels did not have any measurable effect on drinking
behaviours, they did increase knowledge regarding the risks of drink-driving and drinking during
114, 205, 206
pregnancy among particular groups. In the UK, the Drinkaware Trust provides information on
responsible drinking and recent voluntary agreements with the alcohol industry have led to the
inclusion of information on unit content on some alcoholic beverages. This is an encouraging
development; however, it is vital that there is a mandatory requirement for all alcoholic beverage
containers to be labelled to show the following information:
the number of units they contain
the number of units which should not be exceeded each day
a warning message stating that consuming more than the recommended daily guidelines is
likely to cause the individual or others significant harm.
This information should also be readily available from retailers at the point of sale, and in all printed
and electronic alcohol advertisements.
It is worth noting that the recommended guidelines may only be one of the sources that inform
individual decision-making with respect to alcohol consumption. Other influences include
intrapersonal factors such as prior drinking experiences and the amount of alcohol individuals
perceive they can consume before experiencing negative consequences; interpersonal reasons such as
peer influence. Additionally, as noted earlier, individuals vary widely in their ability to absorb and
eliminate alcohol and its effects depend on a number of factors including age, weight, type of drink,
level of dehydration, previous exposure to alcohol, timing and intake of food, and gender of the
drinker.
Alcohol misuse: tackling the UK epidemic