Those who drink regularly are advised to abstain from alcohol for at least two days a week. A committee of MPs has found current drinking guidelines are unclear and need to be revised. Currently the “sensible limits” for drinking, which were defined 25 years ago, are 21 units of alcohol a week for men and 14 for women. But the report by the Science and Technology Committee found many people do not know how much a unit is.
Andrew Miller, committee chair, said, “Alcohol guidelines are a crucial tool for Government in its effort to combat excessive and problematic drinking… It is vital that they are up to date and that people know how to use them.” He added, “Over the course of time alcohol has become cheaper… One of the more recent phenomena is drinking among some sections of society and indeed other people drinking much more regularly than they did in the past. All of the scientific evidence very strongly points in favor of the argument to have at least two alcohol-free days in each week.”
The advice has been welcomed by Eric Appleby of campaign group Alcohol Concern, who told Sky News abstaining from alcohol at least twice a week helped the liver recover and could prevent “what is perhaps becoming a habit” from leading to dependency. He said, “What we need to do now is not just look at the guidelines themselves but how we can communicate them in such a way that people don't feel lectured at but feel that these are a helpful guide.”
Professor Nick Heather, of charity Alcohol Research UK, suggested this could be set to eight units for men and six for women. A can of lager or a standard (175ml) glass of wine contains two units, meaning the upper limit for women would be three glasses of wine or three cans of lager.
Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, special adviser on alcohol at the Royal College of Physicians, said, “The RCP believes that in addition to quantity, safe alcohol limits must also take into account frequency. There is an increased risk of liver disease for those who drink daily or near-daily compared with those who drink periodically or intermittently.”
Dr Evelyn Gillan, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said the new advice was in line with current thinking. However, she warned against people becoming complacent. “It is good advice to have two alcohol-free days every week. That is where current thinking is at the moment – giving your body a rest from alcohol. However, there is a danger that people will think that it is OK to drink what they want for the other five days, but they should still keep within the limits – two to three units a day for women and three to four for men. Our message is that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.”
The report also backs work being carried out by the Government with the drinks industry to ensure more than 80% of alcoholic products will have labels displaying alcoholic content and drinking guidelines by December 2013. The Science and Technology Committee also called for a website to be set up that provides personalized drinking limits based on factors such as weight.
The Wine and Spirit Trade Association, which represents more than 340 companies, welcomed the MPs' “recognition of the important role the alcohol industry has to play in communicating sensible drinking messages”.
The Department of Health said it would consider the committee's recommendations and “look at whether it is necessary to review our guidance”. A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government also said, “We recommend that everyone aim to have at least two alcohol free days per week.”
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