Brits drinking more

The three or four years at University are traditionally supposed to be the years in which alcohol features most prominently. Going out every night, student drinks offers, frequent house parties all mean that society seems to accept that ‘sensible drinking’ guidelines rarely figure in the lives of most students.

But students aren’t the only ones. It has been revealed that all Britons are typically drinking a third more than earlier studies had suggested, when the true amount of alcohol in large pub measures is taken into consideration. This has meant that a glass of wine now counts as two units instead of one and puts millions in a new category of ‘danger drinkers’.

Standard wine glasses used in bars are now often larger than the original 125ml measure. A survey from earlier this year found the average size of a glass of wine was 169ml, the ONS report said.

The average alcohol consumption is now estimated at 14.3 units a week, up from 10.3. The biggest increase is among women – more frequent wine drinkers - whose estimated intake has risen 45% to 9.4 units a week.

However, others have criticised the move, with the Wine and Spirits Trade Association saying that the amount people are drinking is actually decreasing.

One thing seems clear though – if you were keeping an eye on your alcohol consumption, one glass of wine no longer necessarily equates to one unit. Shame.