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All
alcoholic drinks contain pure alcohol (ethanol) in different
amounts. The strength of the alcoholic drink is shown on the
label by a number followed by 'Alcohol % vol', '% vol' or '%
ABV.' The higher the percentage, the stronger the drink.
For example, a bottle of beer may may have '3.5%
ABV' written on the label - this means that 3.5% of the drink is
pure alcohol.
One way of comparing the amount of alcohol in different types of
drinks is using ‘units’. One unit is the same as 1cl of pure
alcohol. Each of the following contains one unit.
(ABV = alcohol by volume)
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A
small glass of wine = 1 UNIT
(9% ABV, but many wines are 11 or 12% ABV) |
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Half
pint of ordinary strength lager/beer/cider = 1 UNIT
(3.5% ABV, but many bottled beers are 4-5% ABV) |
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A
25ml pub measure of spirit = 1 UNIT
(40% ABV) |
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A
330 ml bottle of alcopops = 1.7 UNITs
(5% ABV)
Watch
Out!!! - Alcopops often contain more alcohol than many
beers, lagers or ciders.
They have been designed to hide the
naturally strong alcoholic taste of traditional drinks.
Because they taste fruity and are easier to drink doesn't mean
they will have less effect - they will have the same if not
more effect as other alcoholic drinks |
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are guidelines on how many units of alcohol an adult can drink a
day before risking their health. These are 2-3 units a day for
women and 3-4 for men. However, these guidelines do not apply to
young people. Adult bodies react differently to alcohol and the
adult liver is larger.
It takes about 1 hour for the
adult body to get rid of 1 unit of alcohol. This may be
slower in young people because of differences in physical
maturity. |
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