All You Need to Know

• How much alcohol is it safe to drink?

  The recommended adult weekly limit is 14 units of alcohol.

  One unit of alcohol is about half a pint of beer (4% ABV) or a single measure (25ml) of spirits.

  A small glass of wine equals 1.5 units of alcohol.
  
  Binge drinking (drinking lots of alcohol in one session) is not safe. Alcohol poisoning can happen to you when you drink alcohol quicker than your body can process it and it can make you very ill. 
  
  If you have alcohol poisoning you may need to go to hospital for treatment. If you or someone you know has drunk too much you can check their symptoms here:
  
  Symptoms of alcohol poisoning

• What is drink spiking and how can I avoid it?

  Drink spiking is when someone puts alcohol or another substance into your drink without your permission. It can leave you open to assault, rape or robbery and it is a serious offence.

  There are a few things you can do to protect yourself:

  • Never leave your drink unattended, whether it’s alcoholic or not
  • Don’t accept a drink from someone you don’t know
  • Avoid drinking too much by sticking to the UK low risk drinking guidelines
  • Stick together with friends, and look out for each other.

• How can I help someone who is affected by alcohol issues?

  It can be really tough watching someone you care about struggle with alcohol, but there are things you can do to help them.

  Talk to them about how their drinking is affecting you and explain that you care about them and you are worried. Choose a time when they have not been drinking and try to be calm and patient. If there is a chance that they might react badly to you talking to them and that it might put you in danger, speak to an adult you trust instead and explain what is happening.

  If the person you are worried about is willing to talk, you could help them find what support is available near you and offer to go to appointments with them to support them with getting help. See the 'Who Can Help?' section for ideas of who to contact.

• What is the law about drinking alcohol?

  You can be stopped, fined or arrested by police if you’re under 18 and drinking alcohol in public.

  If you’re under 18, it’s against the law:

  • For someone to sell you alcohol
  • To buy or try to buy alcohol
  • For an adult to buy or try to buy alcohol for you
  • To drink alcohol in licensed premises (such as a pub or restaurant).

  However, if you’re 16 or 17 and accompanied by an adult, you can drink (but not buy) beer, wine or cider with a meal.

  If you’re 16 or under, you may be able to go to a pub (or premises primarily used to sell alcohol) if you’re accompanied by an adult. However, this isn’t always the case.

  You can serve alcohol in a restaurant if you’re 16 or 17 as long as the licence holder or bar manager has approved the sale.

• Alcohol is affecting my everyday life

  If drinking is causing you problems in your daily life, you should seek help.

  The difficulties you might experience include:

  • Often feeling the need to have a drink
  • Getting into trouble because of your drinking
  • Other people warning you about how much you are drinking

  You might have become dependent on alcohol without realising it and now you are finding it hard to control your drinking.

  Speak to your GP as a first step and explain honestly about how much you are drinking and the problems it is causing you. They will be able to explain what help is available to you and give you information about support groups or counselling which might be useful for you.