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If you drink too much alcohol, this will raise your blood pressure over time. Alcohol also contains a lot of calories which will make you gain weight. This will also increase your blood pressure.
If you keep to the recommended limits for alcohol, this will help to keep your blood pressure down. The current recommended limits are 21 units of alcohol a week for men, and 14 units a week for women.
How many units of alcohol are in your drink?
|Drink||Units of Alcohol|
|Single measure of spirits (25ml)||1 unit of alcohol|
|Pint of normal-strength beer||2 units of alcohol|
|Medium glass of wine (175ml)||2 units of alcohol|
|Large glass of wine (250ml)||3 units of alcohol|
|Pint of strong beer||4 units of alcohol|
Drinking less alcohol
Even if you are drinking less than the recommended limits, you will still benefit from drinking less alcohol. Here are some tips to help you have a good night out (or in) without having to worry about your blood pressure.
- Try low-alcohol options – there are now a number of lower-strength beers on the market
- Check the label – many drinks' labels now tell you how many units they contain
- Make your drinks last longer by adding mixers or water
- Don’t eat bar snacks like crisps and peanuts – the added salt will make you want to drink more, and will raise your blood pressure
- If you drink at home, buy a measure so that you know how much you are drinking.
For more information about alcohol and safe drinking advice please visit: what is alcohol?