Fun fact: Units were only introduced in the UK in 1987 – before that, I guess we just had to estimate it 🤷🏾♀️
Before we go any further, note that this relates just to the UK. In the US, alcohol is measured in ‘standard drinks’. Each standard drink contains 14g of pure alcohol, compared with our 8g. For other countries, check your government health department website.
One unit equals 10ml/8g of pure alcohol.
It takes the body approximately an hour to process a single unit of alcohol, depending on things like height, weight, gender and general health.
The unit content of a drink will depend on both its size and the ABV of its various ingredients. For example, a pint of strong lager contains around 3 units of alcohol, whereas the same volume of lower-strength lager has just over 2 units.
You can calculate the amount of units in a drink yourself with this formula:
ABV % x Volume in ml ÷ 1,000 = units
So a pint would be calculated like this:
(ABV %) 5.2 x Volume in ml (568) ÷ 1,000 = 2.95 units
Or, if that seems like an intolerable faff, you can bookmark this page, because I’ve listed the average unit strength of the UK’s most popular alcoholic drinks here for you.
You’re welcome; it’s my pleasure. No, no, you’re the best. 😍
| DRINK TYPE | ABV | SIZE | UNIT COUNT |
| Beer/cider | 5% | 330ml bottle | 1.7 |
| Beer/cider | 5.5% | 440ml can | 2.4 |
| Beer/cider | 3.6% | Pint (568ml) | 2 |
| Beer/cider | 5.2% | Pint (568ml) | 3 |
| Wine | 12% | Standard glass (175ml) | 2.1 |
| Wine | 12% | Large glass (250ml) | 3 |
| Wine | 13.5% | Bottle (750ml) | 10 |
| Prosecco/Sparkling wine | 12% | Glass (125ml) | 1.5 |
| Spirit | 40% | Single shot (25ml) | 1 |
| RTD cocktails | 5% | Can (200ml) | 1 |
The ‘Fast Answers’ series gives you quick answers to your big questions about mindful drinking and moderation in midlife.
See more Fast Answers here or go deeper into this topic with ‘Can 0.5% Drinks Get You Drunk?‘
Leave a Reply