Frequent drinking might lead to more than just a hangover – it could be cutting years off your life. Alarming research indicates that heavy alcohol consumption increases the risk of strokes, aneurysms, heart failures and other deadly conditions.
A 2018 study by Cambridge University, which looked at the drinking patterns of over 600,000 people from 19 countries, supports these concerns. The participants’ data were controlled for factors such as age, diabetes history, and job type.
While the NHS recommends a maximum of 14 units of alcohol per week, the study found that consuming more than 12.5 units could reduce life expectancy. This amount equates to just over five pints of beer with 4% ABV or five 175ml glasses of wine at 13% ABV.
The study’s specific results indicated that having 10 or more alcoholic drinks weekly could shorten life expectancy by one to two years. Furthermore, indulging in 18 drinks a week could lead to a reduction in life span of four to five years.
Lead author Dr Angela Wood said at the time: “If you already drink alcohol, drinking less may help you live longer and lower your risk of several cardiovascular conditions. Alcohol consumption is associated with a slightly lower risk of non-fatal heart attacks but this must be balanced against the higher risk associated with other serious – and potentially fatal – cardiovascular diseases.”
While the studies point towards certain trends, the researchers have made it clear that since the analyses were based on self-reported alcohol consumption, they can’t definitively establish cause and effect. The university added: “The study did not look at the effect of alcohol consumption over the life-course or account for people who may have reduced their consumption due to health complications.”
Nonetheless, similar findings have cropped up in recent research, such as the 2024 study from the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, which dismissed the perceived benefits of moderate drinking.
More than 107 published studies were examined as part of this. “There is simply no completely ‘safe’ level of drinking,” Dr Tim Stockwell said last year. “If you look at the weakest studies… that’s where you see health benefits.”
How can I count alcoholic units?
The NHS explains that 14 units are equivalent to six pints of average-strength beer or 10 small glasses of lower-strength wine. The term ‘unit’ is used to simplify a drink’s alcoholic content which is typically measured with ABV – alcohol by volume.
Its advice adds: “ABV is a measure of the amount of pure alcohol as a percentage of the total volume of liquid in a drink. You can find the ABV on the labels of cans and bottles, sometimes written as ‘vol’ or ‘alcohol volume’, or you can ask bar staff about particular drinks.
“For example, wine that says ‘12% ABV’ or ‘alcohol volume 12%’ means 12% of the volume of that drink is pure alcohol. You can work out how many units there are in any drink by multiplying the total volume of a drink (in ml) by its ABV (measured as a percentage) and dividing the result by 1,000.”