armeme

The chance that alcohol causes our death increases rapidly with the amount consumed. Drinking under 140ml a week is estimated to keep the chances of an alcohol death below 1/100. The only way to make the risk zero risk is to not drink any. ■

This is one of a collection of shareable alcohol messages. If you think more people should know, please share and join the supporters.

Alcohol is useless, with all of its purported benefits achievable by other means which are not hazardous to health or well-being. To find out more, join the supporters of Alcohol Review. ■

Alcohol can cause and worsen the common mental health problems anxiety and depression. Drinking little or no alcohol may help relieve these problems. For more alcohol understanding, please join the supporters. ■

One way to visualise alcohol calories is to see it has has roughly the same amount as oil 5-9cal/ml. So 500ml of 5% lager alcohol contributes roughly the same as 25ml of oil, ~200 calories. And in a 75ml bottle of, say, 12% wine alcohol contribute about as much as 90ml of oil, 700 calories.

This high level should not be too surprising, given that alcohol is manufactured from sugar, again roughly the same order of calorie density. Part of Victorian doctors’ mistaken enthusiasm for prescribing alcohol was it provided weakened invalids with a “clean” source of energy.

It’s by no means perfectly accurate, but it is a reasonable way to get a feel for it, in the absence of clear labelling. ■

This is one of a collection of shareable alcohol messages. If you think more people should know, please share and join the supporters.

We should not drink alcohol to ward off any condition. Its many hazards, including cancer, outweigh any benefits. Alternatives like regular moderate exercise, a balanced diet, stress reduction and health care improve health without bringing any added risk. Please join Alcohol Review‘s supporters. ■