levels of alcohol use
Last reviewed 01/2018
There are four levels of alcohol use:
- social drinking:
- only 10% of the UK population do not drink alcohol
- healthy drinking in defined as less than 21 units/week for men and less than 14 units/week for women
- at risk consumption:
- the level of drinking begins to pose a health risk
- problem drinking:
- drinking causes serious problems to the patient, the family, work and society in general
- 1-2% of the population have a drink problem
- dependence and addiction:
- periodic or chronic intoxication
- uncontrollable craving for drink when sober
- tolerance to the effects of alcohol
- psychological and/or physical dependence
- there are 200,000 dependent drinkers in the UK
Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire (SADQ)
alcohol consumption - changing trends and ethnic variation in consumption