Healthy Living
Many of us enjoy a drink, but alcohol affects much more than how we feel the next morning. It can upset blood sugar, damage the liver and raise the risk of cancer, heart disease and stroke.
Drink check
That drink could take longer to burn off than it took to drink. Here is roughly what some popular drinks add up to:
Use Drinkaware's free tool to check the units and calories in your usual drinks.
Check the units and calories in your drink
Figures are approximate and vary by brand, strength and serving size. Exercise times are based on an average adult.
Units and calories
Sugary mixers add even more calories. Units are worked out as ml × ABV ÷ 1000.
| Drink | Units | Calories | Sugar or carbs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spirits, 40%, 50 ml | 2 | 100 | Almost none without a mixer |
| Wine, 12%, 175 ml | 2.1 | Up to 158 | About 0–14 g sugar, depending on brand |
| Beer or lager, 5%, pint | 2.8 | Up to 222 | Contains carbs, so check the label |
| Cider, 4.5%, 500 ml | 2.3 | 210 | About 21 g sugar |
| Cream liqueur, 17%, 50 ml | 0.9 | 153 | Can be over 20 g sugar per serving |
Blood sugar and diabetes
The carbs in beer and cider raise blood sugar at first. Alcohol then stops the liver releasing stored glucose, so levels can drop later.
Regular heavy drinking also raises the risk of type 2 diabetes through weight gain, reduced insulin sensitivity and pancreatitis.
Insulin and sulphonylureas such as gliclazide raise the risk of a hypo (low blood sugar). The risk can last up to 24 hours after drinking.
Your liver
| Stage | What happens | Can it recover? |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fatty liver | Fat builds up, often with no symptoms | Usually, if you stop drinking |
| 2. Alcohol-related hepatitis | The liver is swollen and damaged; symptoms are likely | Partly |
| 3. Cirrhosis | The liver is badly scarred and may stop working | Usually not |
Damage develops faster in women. The risk is higher if you have diabetes, obesity or existing liver disease.
Long-term risks
Alcohol causes at least 7 types of cancer, including breast, bowel, liver and mouth cancer. The risk rises even at low levels.
Drinking more than 14 units a week raises your risk of heart disease and stroke.
Long-term heavy drinking can cause memory loss and changes in behaviour. It can make mental health worse and is strongly linked with self-harm and suicide.
Alcohol adds calories, can make you hungrier and disturbs sleep. If you are pregnant or trying for a baby, the safest approach is not to drink at all.
Cutting down
No level of drinking is completely safe, but the less you drink, the lower your risk.
Support
We are here to help, without judgement. You can speak to your GP or any of our practice team on 01934 622665.
General information only, not personal medical advice. Sources: NHS, Diabetes UK, Drinkaware.