Everybody should be advised to take at least two alcohol-free days a week, say MPs, who urge in a report that safe drinking guidelines should be revised because they are confusing.
The House of Commons science and technology committee says awareness of the existence of the guidelines is high, but public understanding of what they mean is poor. More help is needed so that drinkers understand what a unit of alcohol actually looks like, so they can have an idea of how many units they are drinking in a pint of beer, glass of wine or shot of vodka.
In 1987, when alcohol guidance was published, it was set out as a maximum advised number of units per week, which was 21 for men and 14 for women.
However, studies published in the early 1990s suggested a small amount of alcohol might be good for the heart. This, says the committee, led to a reframing of the guidance as a daily intake: no more than three to four units a day for men and two to three for women. Those who drink the maximum every day are therefore well above the earlier limits.
But the MPs feels the health benefits of alcohol have been oversold. "The committee found a lack of expert consensus over the health benefits of alcohol and is therefore sceptical about using the purported health benefits of alcohol as a basis for daily guidelines for the adult population, particularly as it is clear that any protective effects would only apply to men over 40 years and post-menopausal women, yet the guidelines apply to all adults," it said.
Andrew Miller, chairman of the committee, said alcohol guidelines were a crucial tool for the government in its effort to combat excessive drinking.
"It is vital that they are up to date and that people know how to use them. Unfortunately, public understanding of how to use the guidelines and what an alcohol unit looks like is poor, although improving.
"While we urge the UK health departments to re-evaluate the guidelines more thoroughly, the evidence we received suggests that the guidelines should not be increased and that people should be advised to take at least two drink-free days a week."
The Royal College of Physicians supported the committee's call. "The RCP believes that in addition to quantity, safe alcohol limits must also take into account frequency. There is an increased risk of liver disease for those who drink daily or near daily compared with those who drink periodically or intermittently," said Sir Ian Gilmore, RCP special adviser on alcohol.
'We currently recommend consumption is limited to between 0 - 21 units a week for men and 0 - 14 units a week for women provided the total amount is not taken in binges and that there are two to three alcohol free days a week. At these levels, most individuals are unlikely to come to harm."
The college also wants the government to introduce a minimum unit price for alcohol. "There is a clear relationship between price, alcohol consumption and health harm," said Gilmore. "A minimum unit price of 50p would prevent around 10,000 deaths, 100,000 hospital admissions each year and over 10,000 fewer violent crimes. The total direct costs saved in England would be £7.4bn over 10 years."
The drinks industry said it was already involved in efforts to educate the public on safe drinking. Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, said: "It's right that the industry should help consumers to understand their units.
"British brewers already have a very good track record of making unit awareness available on bottles and cans – over 90% of products already have this information, and by 2013 over 90% will have lower-risk drinking guidelines and a pregnancy warning, too [this figure is already over 70% ]."
"The BBPA and Drinkaware are also now rolling out a customer unit awareness campaign for pubs, launched in December, with posters and other materials now available."
Andrew Langford, chief executive of the British Liver Trust, said: "The trust supports the recommendation that the guidelines should not be increased and that people should be advised to take at least two consecutive alcohol-free days a week.
"However, we would like bolder steps taken and believe it would support public understanding if the health warnings that were included are similar to that on tobacco products, clearly stating the potential harm."
A Department of Health spokesman said: "It's crucial that people have good advice about alcohol so they can take responsibility for their own health.
"The current guidelines were developed following a thorough review of the evidence and consultation with experts. We will consider these recommendations and look at whether it is necessary to review our guidance."
"Next month, we are launching new Change4Life adverts which will advise people about the harm alcohol can do to our health. We will also shortly be publishing a strategy to tackle alcohol misuse."
