Alcohol

Alcohol is also legal but it can be illegal to buy and drink alcohol under 18 – check the law.

• You need to know how much you are drinking: one unit = half a pint of beer, lager or cider, a small glass of wine or a pub measure of spirits.
• Men should drink no more than 21 units of alcohol per week (and no more than four units in any one day).
• Women should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol per week (and no more than three units in any one day).
• Pregnant women. If you have one or two drinks of alcohol (one or two units), once or twice a week, it is unlikely to harm your unborn baby. However, the exact amount that is safe is not known. So, many women have little or no alcohol when they are pregnant.
• You need to be aware of how it affects you - drinking too much can lead to loss of consciousness or alcoholic poisoning, which can be fatal.
• You should realise that in the long term it can lead to serious liver, heart and stomach problems.
• Never drink and drive!