Brits now necking up to 25 pints a week as Covid lockdown turns people to booze

Brits admit to guzzling more booze now than before the pandemic as sessions last longer in lockdown.

The NHS recommended alcohol consumption is being smashed several times over by people sinking up to 50 units a week, the equivalent of 25 pints.

According to the chairman of the addictions faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, lockdowns are to blame for the shift in Brits' drinking habits.

Professor Julia Sinclair said pub and bar closures led people to lose track of how many cans and bottles they are getting through at home.

A new study has found that those drinking a potentially dangerous amount shot up by two million between October 2019 and 2021.

Following the introduction of restrictions brought about Covid-19 eight million Brits are now going beyond their recommended units, Daily Mail reports.

Professor Sinclair said: "People are carrying on drinking what they started to drink at home and drinking in addition to that. Our best, most realistic scenario is that the higher-risk drinkers go back over the next probably five years to normal risk drinking."

About 5.5 million men were at increasing or higher risk levels in the three months leading up to the end October which is a jump from four million in February 2020.

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Women have not dodged the concerning rise either with the same research revealing 2.3 million are seeing off more than they should – up from 1.6 million in 2020.

The NHS recommends adults consume no more than 14 units of alcohol per week which is seven pints of lower-strength lager.

One measure of spirits is one unit and a large glass of wine is three, as is a strong lager.

A single unit equals 10ml or 8g of pure alcohol, which is around the amount of alcohol the average adult can process in an hour.

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Women are at increasing risk of damaging their health when drinking 15 to 34 units a week, according to guidelines in England. Anything more and the risk becomes higher.

For men, increasing risk is 15 to 49 units and higher risk is more than 50.

The NHS advises: "Spread your drinking over 3 or more days if you regularly drink as much as 14 units a week. If you want to cut down, try to have several drink-free days each week."

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