Alcohol: how much is too much?

I'm a little confused about what is the "normal" amount of alcohol for people to drink. I've grew up in a kind of heavy-drinking enviorenment and I think this might have skewed my persective of what most people consider the safe amount of alcohol to have in a week. I know that the government says 21 units per week for a male, but I've always took this as a bit of an under-estimate. Does anyone know how many units of alcohol the typical 17/18/19 year old male would drink? (this isn't a competition to see how many you have drunk, I just want to know how much most people drink). Thanks.

Reply 1

username47781

20

i thought it was 14 units a week for a male?

Reply 2

K-K

Carl1982

i thought it was 14 units a week for a male?

yh i think it is i personally dont drink at all im not even at the age yet

Reply 3

DrNick2006

10

14 for women, 21 for men.

And that's more than enough!

Reply 4

john171

11

Everyone is different, some people can hold much less, some people can hold much more. Therefore there is no 'normal' amount :smile:

Reply 5

User69701

10

Thats about 2 and a half pints a day. I would avoid taking 14 units in one day though. Do what I say, not what I do.

Reply 6

Arminius

14

Its not uncommon at uni to drink a weeks worth (21) units in one day. Fortunately i don't do this very often. (if at all now).

Reply 7

fez

21 units?

how much is that?

bout 10 pints?
thats not uncommon at all tho, surely you drink more than that on a night out in town?

Reply 8

supertramp

9

Really? 14 for a woman? I must have tripled that in the past two days. Hmm.

Different people, different amounts. If you've been drinking reasonably heavily for a long time then obviously you will be able to drink much more than someone who doesn't without too much of a problem.

Reply 9

halfoflessthan50p

12

I guess youre thinking about long term effects here right?

In the short term you can drink heavily everyday and i dont think you'd get that many problems. Liver failure is more of a cumulative thing i thought. But i honestly dont know the facts (does anyone here?) I reckon alot of people who drink regularly go past the 21 units mark.

I dread to think how many units i drank over the past 4 days (Leeds fest :biggrin:

) But its not something i do that often, so it doesnt really worry me

Reply 10

mattye

1

A proper binge will end up with me drinking around 18 odd units, but that's a rarity.

Usually 3-5 pints is enough for me on a nite out.

Reply 11

Anonymous #1

ad absurdum

I'm a little confused about what is the "normal" amount of alcohol for people to drink. I've grew up in a kind of heavy-drinking enviorenment and I think this might have skewed my persective of what most people consider the safe amount of alcohol to have in a week. I know that the government says 21 units per week for a male, but I've always took this as a bit of an under-estimate. Does anyone know how many units of alcohol the typical 17/18/19 year old male would drink? (this isn't a competition to see how many you have drunk, I just want to know how much most people drink). Thanks.

Ditto about the heavy drinking environment. Until recently I considered it perfectly normal to drink the place dry every time I went out. I would say that I even felt the need to do so. This through seeing it in my own family is the start of the descent into alcoholism. This may seem a little extreme to you but that is just what I have noticed. Anyway, I would say that I drink on average every 3 days or so and will have about 2-4 cans. If i go out I stick to bottles and have between 8 and 10 whereas before i would have 8-10 pints and make a real fool of myself. Hope this answers your question, dont want to sound like an old killjoy but if you cant enjoy yourself without a drink and feel the need to get bladdered every time you are out then consider the possibility that you have a problem.

Reply 12

dani_88

14

I think too much alcohol is when you're drinking something everyday.. i think thats quite worrying.. but everyones different..

Reply 13

LinziP123

I dunno how many units this is but this is what i had last friday night (i wasn't really drunk!)

2 double malibu and lemonades
1 glass cocktail
2 VK alcopops

The thing is i can drink a lot - including shots and stuff- at the weekend, but sometimes nothing at all! So i find it hard to find a weekly average amount of units!

Reply 14

Renal

17

I can regularly do more than 21 units in a night.

Too much alcohol is more than you want to drink, provided that you are educated of the risks and benefits and aware of your capacity and limits.

Reply 15

ASprinkleOfPixieDust

The question wasn't how much you can drink before you are drunk- which is how people have answered it-it was how much is too much you can have had too much to drink before you are drunk in the sense that it does damage to your body. My opinion-if the figures say it's 21, then it's 21...they don't just carry out this research for the heck of it.

Reply 16

Renal

17

My opinion-if the figures say it's 21, then it's 21...they don't just carry out this research for the heck of it.

Well. They do.

There's an element of uncertainty inherent in any research, there's an element of nanny stateism in the 21 units pronouncement and then there's the human variation.

Reply 17

ASprinkleOfPixieDust

Well yes but unless each individual person underwent testing to find their own personal damage limit then I'd stick to 21 rather than this whole unhealthy 'well I'm not totally drunk so it's fine' mentality.

Reply 18

ASprinkleOfPixieDust

And that still doesnt say it's are just done for the sake of it-it's there to give a rough guideline-thats like saying 'well not everybody who smokes gets cancer' they do have considerable basis behind them.

Reply 19

Friggerpants

1

Oh lol, I have 85 a day!

Alcohol: how much is too much?

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