Basic Facts about Drinking

• Alcohol is a depressant - this means it can make you feel unhappy.
• In whatever form you drink it, alcohol has a similar effect on your body. Those who think they will be all right if they stick to beer or cider and avoid spirits are quite wrong.
• Bubbly drinks (eg champagnes, sparkling wines or carbonated drinks) will affect you more quickly than still drinks because the alcohol in them gets into the bloodstream more quickly.
• If you drink on an empty stomach, the alcohol will affect you more quickly than if you drink after eating a meal.
• As a general rule, the same amount of alcohol will affect light people more than heavy people simply because it becomes more concentrated in the blood.
• The same amount of alcohol will affect a woman more than a man regardless of body weight because men have a higher body water content and so the alcohol becomes more diluted in their bodies.
• Children and young people who are still developing will become intoxicated on a smaller amount of alcohol than adults; this is partly because their bodies are smaller and less able to deal with alcohol and partly because they are not familiar with the effects of alcohol.
• There is no way of sobering up quickly; black coffee, cold showers and fresh air might make you feel less sleepy but they won't help your body to get rid of the alcohol more quickly.
• The alcohol content of drinks is measured in units. There is approximately one unit in each of the following; half a pint of ordinary strength beer; one small glass of wine; one pub measure of spirits. Did you know that one can of super strength lager contains as much alcohol as four pub measures of spirits?
• According to government guidelines, a healthy adult male can drink up to three to four units and a healthy adult female up to two to three units per day without harming their health. An important exception to this rule is pregnancy; pregnant women are advised to drink no more than one to two units once or twice a week. Whether there is any safe level at which children can drink has not been established. The sensible drinking guidelines for adults apply whether you drink every day or less than this. It is not OK to save up units for the weekend. Binge drinking or drinking a lot in one go is very risky and is responsible for most of the problems associated with drinking alcohol.
• Mixing alcohol and other drugs (whether illegal drugs or prescribed medicines) can be dangerous and even fatal.

The Law

• It is illegal to give alcohol to a child under 5 even at home; except on the orders of a doctor.
• It is not illegal for a child over 5 to drink on private premises, eg in the home.
• Children under 14 are not allowed in a bar during opening hours unless the bar has been granted a children's certificate. Children under 14 are allowed in other parts of licensed premises at the discretion of the licensee.
• Young people aged 14-17 may be in a bar but they must not buy, be bought or drink alcohol.
• Young people aged 16-17 may buy or be bought certain drinks but only in a separate eating area and only for consumption with a meal. Permitted drinks are beer, cider and perry in England and Wales. The law in Scotland also allows the purchase of wine.
• It is illegal for anyone under 18 to buy alcohol from an off-licence.