Strong pint of beer / lager (658ml)
3 units
What is it and why is it important?
Lots of us drink alcohol to relax or when we spend time with friends and family. But too much alcohol can put us at risk of illnesses like liver disease, stroke, and cancer.
Drinking plays a big part in causing some serious health problems that Southeast London residents die from. It impacts how well we can keep a healthy weight and our mental wellbeing.
There isn’t a “healthy” amount of alcohol but drinking less than 14 units per week helps keep you healthier.
Alcohol units
1 medium glass of wine (175ml)
2 units
Bottle of alcopop (275ml)
1.4 units
1 single measure of spirits
1 unit
Bottle of wine
10 units
Did you know that vaping is 95% safer than smoking? Lots of people in south east London swap to stop. This is because swapping to vapes is one of the most effective ways to quit or cut down on smoking. You can access free support and vapes from your local stop smoking service.
What can I do about it?
Here are a few tips you can try to help you stop smoking:
- access stopping smoking support
- switch to vaping
- avoid trigger situations, for example if you associate cigarettes with drinking, don’t go to the pub
- write a list of all the reasons you want to quit smoking and look at it often
- pair up with someone else who’s trying to stop smoking so you can support each other
- get rid of ashtrays, lighters and any other reminders of smoking
- treat yourself when you reach ‘quitting milestones’
- get active to beat cravings, even a 5-minute walk could stop you from reaching for a cigarette
Did you know you’re three times more likely to quit if you access NHS quit-smoking support?
What support can I get?
There’s great support to help you quit smoking, including advice on vaping and other nicotine replacement products, available on the Stop Smoking London and the FRANK websites.
You can search for your local stop smoking service on the NHS website.
Stop smoking London also has these services:
- a telephone helpline which you can call on 0300 123 1044 if you’re struggling
- a series of apps, which you can find here.
You can also access support to stop on the NHS website, and download the NHS Quit Smoking app (from the App store or Google Play), which provides daily tips and encouragement straight to your mobile device.
The Targeted Lung Health Check programme is a national NHS pilot that is being trialled in Southwark and Greenwich. It’s being offered to people aged between 55 to 74-year-olds who have ever smoked. People in this group are at greater risk of developing lung cancer, so a lung health check helps us spot early signs of cancer when it’s more treatable. Click here to find out more about the programme.
What is drinking and how can it affect me?
- Drinking refers to drinking alcohol, often through drinking beer, wine, or spirits.
- Alcohol is a harmful chemical that can have a wide range of negative effects on our bodies.
- Alcohol is measured by “units”. A pint of beer (ABV 5.2%) is 3 units. A 175ml glass of red wine (ABV 12%) is 3 units.
- There is no “healthy” amount of alcohol but drinking less than 14 units per week helps you stay healthier.
- It’s good to have three days off drinking each week.
- If you have 14 units it’s good to split this out evenly over at least 3 different days.
- Drinking too much alcohol can cause liver disease, stroke, and cancer.
- Drinking too much alcohol can lead to dependent drinking (alcoholism). Dependent drinkers usually get physical symptoms if they suddenly cut down or stop drinking. It’s important to seek help if you’re worried about this.
- Drinking heavily over a short period of time is called binge drinking.
- Binge drinkers are more likely to behave recklessly and are at greater risk of being in an accident.
- You could be misusing alcohol if you feel you should cut down drinking, others have been talking about your drinking, you feel bad or guilty about your drinking, or you reach for alcohol first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover.
- Other signs of unsafe drinking include sometimes being unable to remember what happened the night before or not doing what is expected of us because of drinking.