Typical glass sizes have grown larger and the strength of various wines and beers has increased over the years causing people to be unaware how many units they are consuming, or the effect regularly drinking too much has on their health.

A new 'units' campaign which aims to help people understand how many units are in their drinks and how to stay within recommended daily guidelines, was launched nationally this week.

The Know Your Limits campaign, the biggest alcohol awareness campaign to date with a budget of over six million pounds, kicks off its units strand with a series of adverts on TV, radio, billboards and in the press, depicting the number of units in individual drinks.

A recent You Gov poll showed that most drinkers in the South East region don't know how much they are drinking. More than four out of five people (87 per cent) claimed to know what a unit of alcohol was, yet nearly three quarters (74 per cent) underestimated how many units were in a typical large glass of wine.

More than half (55 per cent) of the people questioned in the South East thought a large glass of wine (ABV 12%) contained two units, when it actually contains three. Around a third (33 per cent) did not know that an average pint of beer (ABV 4%) contains two units, while over half (54 per cent) did not know a double gin and tonic also contains two units.

Susie Richardson, Health Improvement Practitioner for Bucks PCT said "A hangover is not the only danger of drinking too much on a night out. Excessive alcohol consumption is proven to play a significant role in the development of numerous diseases, including several cancers, heart disease and stroke. That's why this campaign is so important to Buckinghamshire's public health."

"Furthermore, a study by the North West Public Health Observatory showed that even those living in relatively wealthy areas of England are likely to be consuming 'hazardous' levels of alcohol. In order to stop the increases in alcohol related deaths, we need to change the ambivalence society has built up towards drinking too much alcohol. Residents of Bucks need to be aware how much they are drinking and what effect it may have on their health, in order to make an informed decision about reducing risk around their drinking. When you are drinking at home it does not seem particularly dangerous, but it does add up."

To help people add up the units in their drinks, the Government has launched a new online calculator that can be downloaded to your desktop. For more information, visit www.nhs.uk/units.

Are you aware of how many units of alcohol you drink?

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