Free alcohol units calculatorHow much are you really drinking?
Add your pints, wine and spirits to see your weekly units against the HSE low-risk guidelines, and what your drinking is costing you. It takes a minute, and nothing is saved.
Work out your units
What is your drinking costing you?
Which guideline applies to you?The HSE sets one for women and one for men.
How many days a week do you drink, on average?
And on a typical drinking day?
One standard drink is 10g of pure alcohol: volume (ml) × strength (ABV %) × 0.789 ÷ 1,000. Guidelines: HSE weekly low-risk alcohol guidelines ↗
Add what you drink to see your numbers.
None of that shows up on a bank statement, but it often matters most.
Three questions doctors ask
The number of units is one part of the picture. These three questions come from the World Health Organization’s AUDIT-C, a short screen used by doctors and health services. It takes 20 seconds.
1How often do you have a drink containing alcohol?
2How many standard drinks do you have on a typical day when you drink?
3How often do you have 6 or more standard drinks on one occasion?
A screening guide, not a diagnosis. Nothing you choose is saved or sent anywhere.
How many units is that drink?
One standard drink contains 10 grams of pure alcohol. Here’s how common drinks add up.
| Drink | Size and strength | Standard drinks |
|---|---|---|
| Pint of beer, stout or cider | 568ml at 4.5% | 2.0 |
| Pint of Guinness | 568ml at 4.2% | 1.9 |
| Pint of craft beer or IPA | 568ml at 5.5% | 2.5 |
| Half pint | 284ml at 4.5% | 1.0 |
| Can of beer or cider | 500ml at 4.5% | 1.8 |
| Bottle of beer | 330ml at 4.3% | 1.1 |
| Small glass of wine | 100ml at 12.5% | 1.0 |
| Quarter bottle of wine | 187.5ml at 12.5% | 1.8 |
| Bottle of wine | 750ml at 12.5% | 7.4 |
| Pub measure of spirits | 35.5ml at 40% | 1.1 |
| Naggin of spirits | 200ml at 40% | 6.3 |
| Bottle of spirits | 700ml at 40% | 22.1 |
Worked out as volume (ml) × strength (ABV %) × 0.789 ÷ 1,000. Stronger drinks contain more: check the label.
What do the low-risk guidelines say?
The HSE’s weekly low-risk guidelines are up to 11 standard drinks a week for women and up to 17 for men, spread out over the week, with at least two to three alcohol-free days, and no more than 6 standard drinks on any one occasion.
In real terms, 17 standard drinks is about eight and a half pints across a week. 11 is about a bottle and a half of wine. A bottle of wine on its own is more than the limit for one occasion.
No level of drinking is completely risk-free, and in pregnancy the safest choice is no alcohol. The guidelines are about lowering risk.
But the number is only part of it. Are you drinking more than you meant to? Making rules and breaking them? Thinking about the next drink more than you’d like? If you’re asking, it’s worth taking seriously, and that isn’t a judgement.
Source: HSE, weekly low-risk alcohol guidelines
If you are physically dependent on alcohol, do not suddenly stop drinking without medical advice. Call 112 or 999 for severe withdrawal symptoms such as hallucinations, severe shaking or seizures. How to cut down safely
Concerned about your drinking?
The advice most people hear is to stop completely and stay stopped. If that works for you, brilliant. If you’ve tried, more than once, and it hasn’t stuck, that isn’t a lack of willpower. There’s another option you may not have heard of.
Why willpower runs out
Your brain learns to link drinking with a powerful feel-good signal. Every drink strengthens that link, which is why the desire to drink can shout louder than your best intentions.
The Sinclair Method
A medically supervised treatment, taken before drinking, dampens that reward signal. For many people, the desire to drink gets quieter over time. It’s unlearning, not white-knuckling.
Support from home
A private online consultation with a doctor, and coaching built around your real life. You can keep your social life while you change your relationship with alcohol.
Alcohol units: quick answers
How many units a week is low risk?
The HSE low-risk guidelines are up to 11 standard drinks a week for women and 17 for men, spread across the week, with two to three alcohol-free days and no more than 6 on one occasion. No level of drinking is completely risk-free.
How many units are in a pint of Guinness?
About 1.9 standard drinks. A 568ml pint at 4.2% contains around 19 grams of alcohol. A 440ml can at 4.2% is about 1.5.
How many standard drinks are in a pint?
About two. A 568ml pint of beer, stout or cider at 4.5% contains 2.0 standard drinks. Stronger craft beers and ciders contain more.
How many standard drinks are in a bottle of wine?
A 750ml bottle at 12.5% contains about 7.4 standard drinks. Many red wines are 13.5% to 14.5%, which takes a bottle to around 8 or more.
How many standard drinks are in a naggin?
A 200ml naggin of spirits at 40% contains about 6.3 standard drinks. A standard pub measure is 35.5ml, which is about one standard drink.
Is a standard drink the same as a unit?
Yes. When people talk about units, they usually mean standard drinks: 10 grams of pure alcohol. UK units are smaller, at 8 grams, so UK calculators and guidelines give different numbers. This calculator uses standard drinks.
How do I work out the units in a drink?
Multiply the volume in ml by the strength (ABV %) and by 0.789, then divide by 1,000. For a 500ml can at 5%: 500 × 5 × 0.789 ÷ 1,000 = 2.0 standard drinks.
How long does it take to get rid of a standard drink?
Roughly one hour per standard drink for most adults, and nothing speeds it up. After a heavy night, you may still be over the limit to drive the next morning.
How do I cut down on drinking safely?
If you drink heavily every day, speak to a doctor before you make any sudden change. Stopping or cutting back sharply can cause alcohol withdrawal, and the HSE warns that serious symptoms such as seizures can happen within 24 to 48 hours of the last drink. The medicine used in The Sinclair Method does not treat withdrawal. What to do depends on the symptoms:
- Call 112 or 999, or go to your nearest emergency department, if you or someone else has severe withdrawal symptoms: shaking visibly, being very agitated, confusion (for example, not knowing what day it is), seeing, hearing or feeling things that are not there, a fever, or a seizure (fit). Do not drive yourself.
- See your GP if you get symptoms like anxiety, difficulty sleeping, sweating or feeling sick when you try to cut down.
- For confidential advice, the HSE Drugs and Alcohol Helpline is on Freephone 1800 459 459 (Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5.30pm), or email [email protected].
None of this has to rule you out. It means starting safely, with medical support, from day one.
Sources: HSE, alcohol withdrawal symptoms; HSE Drugs and Alcohol Helpline
Does this calculator save my answers?
No. Everything happens on your own device. Nothing you enter is sent to us or stored.