Don’t overdo it when you’re celebrating at Christmas, urge experts

The Christmas party season is almost upon us and health experts are warning us to know our numbers before we head out.

Alcohol has an important but complicated place in Scottish culture as part of people’s social lives and celebrations.

There are some positive things about drinking responsibly as part of social occasions.

More recently, there has been a lot of focus on the issue of alcohol consumption and the problems it seems to cause.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s director of public health Linda de Caestecker said:“We all know there are recommended weekly guidelines for alcohol and these have been around for many years .

“They were updated almost three years ago, with no more than 14 units in a week being recommended for both men and women now.

“As we head into December, lots of us will be thinking about Christmas parties, perhaps with colleagues, friends and of course the big day itself with our families.

“But this is a message for all year round and it’s important people know the guidelines and the risks they may face if regularly drinking more than that.”

To help you through the party season and beyond, the health board has devised three top tips for low-risk drinking. These are:  To keep health risks from alcohol to a low level it is safest not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis.

 If you regularly drink as much as 14 units per week, it is best to spread your drinking evenly over 3 or more days. If you have one or two heavy drinking episodes a week, you increase your risk of death from long term illness and from accidents and injuries.

 On a night out try to spread out your alcoholic drinks with soft drinks or water. By staying hydrated you will feel much better in the morning.

It’s also really important to know how many units are in each drink. For example: one average cocktail, a pint of 5.4 per cent cider and a 250ml glass of 12 per cent wine are all three units while a small glass of 12 per cent fizz is 1.5 units.

For more information, go online to https://www.nhsggc.org.uk/alcohol