Guide · Know your numbers
Alcohol units explained: how many are in your drink?
Most people underestimate how much they drink, not because they lie, but because glasses got bigger and wine got stronger. Units fix that. Here is the one-line formula, a chart for everyday drinks, and what the weekly guideline actually says.
Photo is illustrative, not from a past month. Credits.
Quick answer. A UK unit is 10ml of pure alcohol. Units = strength (ABV %) × volume (ml) ÷ 1,000. A 750ml bottle of 13.5% wine is 10 units (12% is 9); a 175ml glass of 12% wine is 2.1 units; a pint of 5.2% beer is about 3 units (3.6% is 2); a 25ml single of 40% spirit is 1 unit. UK guidance: no more than 14 units a week, spread over 3 or more days. In the US, a standard drink is 14 grams of alcohol, about 1.75 UK units.
"I only had a couple of glasses." In a big restaurant glass of a 14% red, a couple can mean six units: almost half the weekly guideline in one dinner. Units are not about judgement. They are about seeing the real number.
Please read this first. If you drink heavily or every day, or use other drugs daily, stopping suddenly can be dangerous. Talk to a doctor before you stop. The Quiet Month is not medical, not therapy and not rehab. In a crisis, call your local emergency number or find a free helpline at findahelpline.com. More in our questions.
The formula
Units = ABV (%) × volume (ml) ÷ 1,000.
Example: a 568ml pint of 5% lager is 5 × 568 ÷ 1,000 = 2.8 units. A 750ml bottle of 13.5% wine is 13.5 × 750 ÷ 1,000 = 10 units. That is it. You can do it on a phone calculator at the bar.
Alcohol units chart
| Drink | Strength | UK units |
|---|---|---|
| Bottle of wine, 750ml | 11% | 8.3 |
| Bottle of wine, 750ml | 12% | 9 |
| Bottle of wine, 750ml | 12.5% | 9.4 |
| Bottle of wine, 750ml | 13.5% | 10.1 |
| Small glass of wine, 125ml | 12% | 1.5 |
| Standard glass of wine, 175ml | 12% | 2.1 |
| Large glass of wine, 250ml | 12% | 3 |
| Pint of lower-strength beer or cider | 3.6% | 2 |
| Pint of beer or lager | 5% | 2.8 |
| Pint of strong beer or cider | 5.2% | 3 |
| Can of beer, 440ml | 5% | 2.2 |
| Bottle of beer, 330ml | 5% | 1.7 |
| Single spirit, 25ml | 40% | 1 |
| Large single spirit, 35ml | 40% | 1.4 |
| Bottle of spirits, 700ml | 40% | 28 |
| Alcopop, 275ml | 4.5% | 1.2 |
Figures rounded to one decimal place. The NHS rounds a 3.6% pint to 2 units and a 5.2% pint to 3. Always check the strength on your own bottle: wines have crept up from about 11% to 13% or more.
How many units in a bottle of wine?
Between about 8 and 11 units, depending on strength. At 12% it is 9 units; at 13.5% it is 10; at 14.5% almost 11. So a bottle shared between two across an evening is about 5 units each, and a bottle on your own on a Friday is two thirds of the weekly guideline.
What does the 14-unit guideline mean?
The UK Chief Medical Officers advise that men and women should not regularly drink more than 14 units a week, and that if you do drink as much as 14, it is better to spread it over three or more days with several drink-free days. In everyday terms, 14 units is about six pints of 4% beer or six 175ml glasses of 13% wine. It is a low-risk guideline, not a target, and the World Health Organization's European office has said there is no completely safe level of drinking for health.
Units in other countries
- UK: 1 unit = 10ml (8 grams) of pure alcohol.
- US: 1 standard drink = 14 grams of pure alcohol, about 1.75 UK units. A 12oz beer at 5%, a 5oz glass of 12% wine and a 1.5oz shot of 40% spirits are each about one standard drink.
- Many other countries use a 10-gram standard drink (for example Australia), and some use 12 grams. Check your local health service.
Rowan is our AI assistant. Please keep health details for the video call.
How long does a unit take to leave the body?
The NHS says an average adult processes about one unit an hour, but this varies a lot with weight, sex, age, food, medicines and liver health. So a bottle of wine finished at midnight can still be in your blood the next morning. Coffee, cold showers and sleep don't speed it up. If you need to drive the next day, don't rely on a sum: leave plenty of time, or don't drink.
Count a week honestly
- Write down every drink for one normal week, with its size and strength.
- Use the formula or the chart above.
- Notice the surprises. Home pours are usually bigger than pub measures.
- Decide one change: smaller glasses, lower-strength drinks, more drink-free days, or a full month off.
Our free Dry January calculator does the units, calories and money for you, and the alcohol spending calculator shows the yearly cost. If the numbers make you want a break, start at what is Dry January? or any sober month.
Where The Quiet Month fits
Units are a useful way to see the habit clearly. A month at zero, somewhere calm, is a useful way to feel what life is like without it.
The Quiet Month is a calm month away for up to four guests, each in their own private flat a short walk from me: slow mornings, a short, always optional meditation, daily movement, shared low-carb meals and long evening talks, with no alcohol, no smoking and no drugs for anyone, me included. The first month starts on 1 January 2027, then on the 1st of every month. Honestly: I'm self-taught, not a doctor or counsellor, and The Quiet Month is not medical and not therapy. Every guest is 21 or over and brings a doctor's fit-to-join letter. I don't publish where I am; after a free video call, if we both want to go ahead, you learn the country and city before you sign anything, and nothing is paid before that call and a signed agreement. The programme fee is US$10,000 for the month; your flat and flights are extra. See the January 2027 month and what the fee includes.
Email me first at info@thequietmonth.com, start step 1 of the application (about five minutes, free, no commitment), or book a free 20-minute call.
The Quiet Month team
Questions people ask
How many units are in a bottle of wine?
About 9 units at 12%, 9.4 at 12.5% and 10 at 13.5% for a 750ml bottle. Stronger wines have more.
How do I calculate alcohol units?
Multiply the strength (ABV %) by the volume in ml and divide by 1,000. A pint (568ml) of 5% beer is 2.8 units.
How many units a week is safe?
UK guidance is not to regularly drink more than 14 units a week, spread over three or more days. It is a low-risk guideline, not a safe level; WHO Europe says no level is completely safe.
How many units are in a pint of beer?
About 2 units at 3.6%, 2.8 at 5% and 3 at 5.2%.
What is a US standard drink in UK units?
A US standard drink is 14 grams of pure alcohol, about 1.75 UK units.
Sources
- NHS: Calculating alcohol units (ABV x ml / 1,000; 750ml of 13.5% wine = 10 units; 14 units a week spread over 3+ days; about one unit an hour; read 3 Nov 2026)
- GOV.UK: UK Chief Medical Officers' low risk drinking guidelines
- NIAAA: What is a standard drink? (US standard drink = 14 grams of pure alcohol)
- WHO Europe (4 Jan 2023): No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health
- Find A Helpline: free helplines in many countries
Prices and facts were checked on 3 November 2026. Prices change; always check the source before you book anything.