Is 50 UK units of Alcohol a week dangerous?
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Original post by Admit-One
Could I just be expressly clear and repeat that a good friend’s spouse died in their 30’s of alcohol misuse.
It does happen and hand waving about units or litres of vodka is unhelpful.
It does happen and hand waving about units or litres of vodka is unhelpful.
What was the misuse?
Original post by Quady
From 50 units spread over a week...?
Yes. That is not a small amount of alcohol.
Original post by Anonymous
Yes. That is not a small amount of alcohol.
Yeah but it's only a warning zone, not dangerous.
Original post by Quady
Yeah but it's only a warning zone, not dangerous.
I mean, that literally says over 35 units for a woman and over 50 units for a male is very heavy drinking... People tend to be rather conservative when estimating alcohol intake so I'm going to hedge a bet that the 50 units is 50+ units even if OP is male.
Original post by Anonymous
I know 50 units is quite above recommended levels but could that much cause liver damage etc even if it’s taken evenly over the week. 3 beers a day and a bottle of wine on a Saturday. Is is healthier to pace all the drinks like this?
My understanding is that spreading the consumption evenly over the week is better than binge drinking.
With the health risks it's not just the liver damage. It's the cancer risk. Alcohol is a Group 1 Carcinogen.
There's also the increased risk of death via motor vehicle accident, either as a driver (including morning after feeling grotty, as booze reduces quality of sleep) or as a pedestrian.
Alcohol is calorie dense, adding to weight gain risk. Check out Secret Eaters and how many of the guests were consuming liberal amounts of alcohol.
And on top of that there's the "What else?" question. What else could you do apart from drink alcohol? You could drink water. You'd be better off financially and you'd have more productive time each week. EG try working on an assignment for a few minutes before going to bed after drinking 3 beers.
You don't need to medicate yourself on a night out in order to be sociable and to have fun. It's just an ingrained habit that you can throw off.
Original post by Anonymous
I probably have like 50-60 a week and I'm still here. it's not healthy but it's not gonna kill you until you're like 60
There's bell curves for ages of death for those drinking 50 units per week. A different bell curve for those averaging 5. And a different one for lifelong teetotallers.
As an 18 year old, if you don't smoke, avoid junk food and semi-junk food to a reasonable extent, and are physically active, you're looking at adding somewhere in the region of 20 years to your life expectancy.
Not only that, you're also looking at adding life to your years. IE more likely to die after a short illness (like 2 weeks or less) than to have a long period or illness before dying.
Alcohol is junk "food".
The bell curves may have an element of associative risk. EG the sort of person that drinks 50 units of alcohol per week is more likely to smoke, eat more junk food, be less physically active.
But even so, there is sufficient scientific evidence on which to say that drinking 50 units per week is self-destructive.
It is of course your body and your life. And it's up to you what you do with it.
This is one of those where it's worth reminding yourself of all the risks and drawbacks of alcohol, so that you can make an informed decision as to whether you want to continue drinking it at the rate of 50 units per week.
Original post by Anonymous
50 units a week won't kill you in your 30s
Bell shaped curves.
A 20 year old course mate of mine got hit by a car one night after he'd been drinking. He suffered severe brain damage, was comatose for a while and will probably never be able to function normally again. Tragic for him and tragic for his girlfriend, who loved him very much and was heartbroken.
Original post by Dunnig Kruger
My understanding is that spreading the consumption evenly over the week is better than binge drinking.
With the health risks it's not just the liver damage. It's the cancer risk. Alcohol is a Group 1 Carcinogen.
There's also the increased risk of death via motor vehicle accident, either as a driver (including morning after feeling grotty, as booze reduces quality of sleep) or as a pedestrian.
Alcohol is calorie dense, adding to weight gain risk. Check out Secret Eaters and how many of the guests were consuming liberal amounts of alcohol.
And on top of that there's the "What else?" question. What else could you do apart from drink alcohol? You could drink water. You'd be better off financially and you'd have more productive time each week. EG try working on an assignment for a few minutes before going to bed after drinking 3 beers.
You don't need to medicate yourself on a night out in order to be sociable and to have fun. It's just an ingrained habit that you can throw off.
There's bell curves for ages of death for those drinking 50 units per week. A different bell curve for those averaging 5. And a different one for lifelong teetotallers.
As an 18 year old, if you don't smoke, avoid junk food and semi-junk food to a reasonable extent, and are physically active, you're looking at adding somewhere in the region of 20 years to your life expectancy.
Not only that, you're also looking at adding life to your years. IE more likely to die after a short illness (like 2 weeks or less) than to have a long period or illness before dying.
Alcohol is junk "food".
The bell curves may have an element of associative risk. EG the sort of person that drinks 50 units of alcohol per week is more likely to smoke, eat more junk food, be less physically active.
But even so, there is sufficient scientific evidence on which to say that drinking 50 units per week is self-destructive.
It is of course your body and your life. And it's up to you what you do with it.
This is one of those where it's worth reminding yourself of all the risks and drawbacks of alcohol, so that you can make an informed decision as to whether you want to continue drinking it at the rate of 50 units per week.
Bell shaped curves.
A 20 year old course mate of mine got hit by a car one night after he'd been drinking. He suffered severe brain damage, was comatose for a while and will probably never be able to function normally again. Tragic for him and tragic for his girlfriend, who loved him very much and was heartbroken.
With the health risks it's not just the liver damage. It's the cancer risk. Alcohol is a Group 1 Carcinogen.
There's also the increased risk of death via motor vehicle accident, either as a driver (including morning after feeling grotty, as booze reduces quality of sleep) or as a pedestrian.
Alcohol is calorie dense, adding to weight gain risk. Check out Secret Eaters and how many of the guests were consuming liberal amounts of alcohol.
And on top of that there's the "What else?" question. What else could you do apart from drink alcohol? You could drink water. You'd be better off financially and you'd have more productive time each week. EG try working on an assignment for a few minutes before going to bed after drinking 3 beers.
You don't need to medicate yourself on a night out in order to be sociable and to have fun. It's just an ingrained habit that you can throw off.
There's bell curves for ages of death for those drinking 50 units per week. A different bell curve for those averaging 5. And a different one for lifelong teetotallers.
As an 18 year old, if you don't smoke, avoid junk food and semi-junk food to a reasonable extent, and are physically active, you're looking at adding somewhere in the region of 20 years to your life expectancy.
Not only that, you're also looking at adding life to your years. IE more likely to die after a short illness (like 2 weeks or less) than to have a long period or illness before dying.
Alcohol is junk "food".
The bell curves may have an element of associative risk. EG the sort of person that drinks 50 units of alcohol per week is more likely to smoke, eat more junk food, be less physically active.
But even so, there is sufficient scientific evidence on which to say that drinking 50 units per week is self-destructive.
It is of course your body and your life. And it's up to you what you do with it.
This is one of those where it's worth reminding yourself of all the risks and drawbacks of alcohol, so that you can make an informed decision as to whether you want to continue drinking it at the rate of 50 units per week.
Bell shaped curves.
A 20 year old course mate of mine got hit by a car one night after he'd been drinking. He suffered severe brain damage, was comatose for a while and will probably never be able to function normally again. Tragic for him and tragic for his girlfriend, who loved him very much and was heartbroken.
I'm sure OP is well aware that alcohol is unhealthy and there are risks associated with heavy drinking but seeing as every other comment is verging on fear mongering, I thought I'd bring in a bit of the other side. I've made peace with the fact that my drinking will probably be what kills me in some way or another and that I'm probably not going to live to be 90 but alcohol also brings many benefits to my life and the lives of others, for example it helps me socialise and have a good time, helps me gain confidence and stick up for myself and helps me manage my mental health. OP should also weigh up the positives and negatives that drinking brings to their life.
Original post by Anonymous
I'm sure OP is well aware that alcohol is unhealthy and there are risks associated with heavy drinking but seeing as every other comment is verging on fear mongering, I thought I'd bring in a bit of the other side. I've made peace with the fact that my drinking will probably be what kills me in some way or another and that I'm probably not going to live to be 90 but alcohol also brings many benefits to my life and the lives of others, for example it helps me socialise and have a good time, helps me gain confidence and stick up for myself and helps me manage my mental health. OP should also weigh up the positives and negatives that drinking brings to their life.
Yep the confidence thing, I'll give you that. Dutch Courage is a thing.
A lot of people use drinking as a social crutch.
If they stopped drinking and carried on going out and socialising they'd probably find a dip in how well they socialised, followed by an improvement if they kept at it. Especially if they understand the basics of what constitutes good social skills. So that in the long term, they'd probably be better at socialising if they cut out the drink.
For the mental health, drinking is a "pact with the devil". Because of what it takes away in order to give. Worse sleep. Addictive behaviour. Worse nutrition profile. Internal inflammation. Overall, the net result is that alcohol will be making your mental health worse.
The same thing applies to "having a good time".
It's highly rational and highly logical to fear alcohol. Based on the scientific evidence.
What we have in the UK is culture where alcohol consumption has been very much normalised. So much so that many people's decision to drink it is based on inertia and emotions and not on pure simple logic.
Original post by Anonymous
I mean, that literally says over 35 units for a woman and over 50 units for a male is very heavy drinking... People tend to be rather conservative when estimating alcohol intake so I'm going to hedge a bet that the 50 units is 50+ units even if OP is male.
It doesn't literally say 'over 35 units for a woman and over 50 units for a male is very heavy drinking'
Try reading it again and see if you can find the word 'heavy' - you can't, that was an invention of your mind.
Original post by Quady
It doesn't literally say 'over 35 units for a woman and over 50 units for a male is very heavy drinking'
Try reading it again and see if you can find the word 'heavy' - you can't, that was an invention of your mind.
Try reading it again and see if you can find the word 'heavy' - you can't, that was an invention of your mind.
It literally says that at those levels, " you are into very heavy drinking and at serious risk of damaging your health"...
Original post by Anonymous
It literally says that at those levels, " you are into very heavy drinking and at serious risk of damaging your health"...
Ah - if you look again, that's the section for over 50 units a week, not the 35-50 units which would apply in this case
(edited 3 weeks ago)
Original post by Quady
Ah - if you look again, that's the section for over 50 units a week, not the 35-50 units which would apply in this case
As I said in my previous post - we don't know OP's gender and people tend to (often grossly) underestimate their alcohol units
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Separately, TSR Community Guidelines do not permit:
Medical misinformation that can cause harm to an individual's physical or mental health.
https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/help/the-student-room-community-guidelines
If you have further questions about that, ask them here.
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