2. State the unit strength of several alcoholic drinks (1.1)
Identify reasons for misusing alcohol (2.1) & list psychological
and physical effects of alcohol misuse (3.1)
Describe how alcohol misuse can effect family, friends and
society (4.1) & identify organisations that can offer help (7.1)
Identify a variety of health impacts (5.1) & the effects of
alcohol withdrawal (6.1)
Session 5 Objectives
3. What is a UK unit of alcohol?
10 millilitres of pure alcohol or ethyl alcohol
Why are ‘units’ used to measure alcoholic drinks?
To improve the public’s understanding of how much alcohol is in the volume of liquid they are
consuming & to help people drink at safer levels.
What is ABV?
Alcohol By Volume (the percentage of alcohol contained in a volume of liquid)
The packaging or containers for most alcoholic drinks now have the unit content displayed…if
however they do not, there is a way to quickly approximate. This is called the litre method:
The ABV % indicates how many units of alcohol would be in a full litre (1000ml) of that particular
liquid. We can then estimate how many units are in the quantity of alcohol we are drinking…
Units of alcohol
4. Your homework was to research and/or find alcohol products
and write down their percentage of alcohol and how many
millilitres or litres the product is.
Share your findings with the rest of the group.
HOMEWORK
5. A 1 litre (1000ml) bottle of 12% ABV red wine?
12 units
What about 1 glass (250ml)
3 units
So…how many units?
6. A pint (approx. half a litre) of 5% lager
2.5 units
A shot (25ml) of 40% whisky
1 unit
And a couple more…
7. For the next part of the session you will be working in small groups to gather, interpret and present
information that relates to the following areas:
Group 1: Identify and describe 3 different reasons why people may misuse alcohol (2.1) & describe 3
psychological and 3 (immediate) physical effects of alcohol misuse (3.1)
Group 2: Describe how alcohol misuse can affect 1) family 2) friends 3) society (4.1) & identify and
describe 3 organisations that can offer help and information in relation to alcohol misuse (7.1)
Group 3: Identify the health impact of alcohol misuse on 1) nutrition 2) Liver 3) Heart 4) mental health
5) sexual health (5.1) & describe the effects of alcohol withdrawal (6.1)
Each group will receive a task sheet. You will have up to 45 minutes to research, discuss and
prepare your presentation. You will have up to 10 minutes to present.
Group investigation & presentation
8. Group 1 (2.1, 3.1)
Reasons for misusing alcohol: easily available and relatively cheap, socially acceptable
form of drug use, lack of awareness, mask trauma and/or unpleasant feelings, means of
psychological escape, learned behaviour (2.1)
Psychological impact: socially disinhibiting, relieve stress, aid relaxation, increase levels of
anxiety/depression, increase aggression or tendency to be violent, increase risk taking,
dependence
Physical impact: lowers core body temperature, increase feelings of hunger, increase need
to urinate, loss of coordination, balance and motor skills, increases heart rate and blood
pressure (3.1)
9. Impact on family: increase risk of arguments and domestic violence, employment and
financial problems through over-spending, absenteeism or loss of employment,
intergenerational alcohol misuse
Impact on friends: increase risk of inappropriate, aggressive or violent behaviour,
breakdown in relationships
Impact on society: increased levels of aggression and violence in town centres, loss of
social income through absenteeism & inability to work, increased levels of welfare
dependency, healthcare costs (acute & chronic) (4.1)
3 organisations that can offer help and/or information:
Inspire, THOMAS, Alcoholics Anonymous (7.1)
Group 2 (4.1, 7.1)
10. Nutrition: does not contain any useful nutrients and in fact prevents the body from absorbing and
processing other nutrients, high in calories that cannot be utilised
Liver: increased risk of developing diabetes, some liver cells turn to fat, cirrhosis (scarring) of the
liver, increased risk of liver disease (and death)
Heart: increased heart rate and blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, risk of stroke, coronary
heart disease
Mental health: increased levels of depression/anxiety, psychological dependence, stress levels etc
Sexual (reproductive) health: reduced testosterone levels, sperm production, sperm mobility,
interruption to menstrual cycle, decreased chance of conception, increased risk of risky sexual
behaviour and STIs/STDs (5.1)
Effects of alcohol withdrawal: shaking, sweating, nausea, vomiting, headaches, insomnia,
hallucinations, seizures, delirium tremens (DTs), disorientation, high blood pressure, racing heart
rate, fever – withdrawal from alcohol should always be medically supervised as it can be fatal if not
managed correctly (6.1)
Group 3 (5.1, 6.1)
11. Example: How many units of alcohol are in a 750ml bottle of Vodka at 40% ABV?
1000ml (1L) would contain 40 units of pure alcohol
How many units would be in 100mls? 1000/10=100mls & 40/10=4
So, in every 100mls there are 4 units of alcohol (so there would be 2 units in 50mls)
100ml x 7 = 700ml & 4 units x 7 = 28units
50ml x 1 = 50ml & 2 units x 1 = 2 units
Which gives a grand total of 30 units of alcohol in a 750ml bottle of 40% Vodka
How many units of alcohol would there be in a single shot of this vodka?
25mls (UK single measure shot) = 1 unit
Units continued…
