Safe drinking levels
- Men should not regularly drink more than three to four units of alcohol a day.
- Women should not regularly drink more than two to three units a day.
'Regularly' means drinking this amount every day or most days of the week.
People who regularly drink at least twice the daily guideline amount of two to three units for women and three to four units for men range from 'depressed drinkers', drinking at home alone, to 'macho drinkers' who spend most evenings in the pub.
There are nine types of heavy drinker identified by the Department of Health:
De-stress drinkers drink to calm down and regain control of their life. They are typically middle-class and have a stressful home life or pressurised job which makes them feel burdened with responsibility.
Conformist drinkers drink to belong and seek a structure to their lives. They are mostly males aged 45-59 in clerical or manual jobs. Regular pub visits are part of their routine.
Boredom drinkers are solitary drinkers who drink to pass the time. Part of their drinking is about feeling comforted and secure, but they also seek a degree of stimulation. They are typically women, aged 35-50.
Depressed drinkers crave comfort, safety and security. These drinkers are of any age, gender or socio-economic group. Their lives are in a state of crisis and they tend to drink very heavily, often at home and alone.
Re-bonding drinkers are driven by a need to keep in touch and re-connect with those close to them. They want release and stimulation and drink on most evenings.
Community drinkers are motivated by the need to belong and to seek stimulation and release from everyday life in the company of others. They are usually lower-middle-class men and women who drink in large friendship groups.
Hedonistic drinkers crave stimulation and want to abandon control. They want to stand out from the crowd and drink to get drunk up to three or four times a week. They tend to be divorced with grown-up children.
Macho drinkers almost live in the pub. They're mainly men who feel a need to stand out from the crowd. They drink to feel a release, but also to feel in control of others.
Border dependents consider the pub a home-from-home. They make regular visits to the pub during the day and the evening, on weekdays and at weekends. They drink fast and often. They're bored, need to conform and are unfulfilled.
The research indicated that drinkers could move through a number of these types, so they could sometimes drink to de-stress and at other times drink to conform.
If you're regularly drinking twice the guideline daily amount of two to three units for women and three to four units for men, you may need help.