There are many online alcohol checks where any person can enter how much alcohol they drink, and then they are given health advice on that basis.
Two of the main checks available in the UK are Unit Calculator (by AlcoholChangeUK recommended by the National Health Service) and Drinking Check (by DrinkAware, funded by the alcohol industry)
I have just done an experiment to see what advice each tool would give me, for the same level of alcohol intake. For the test, I indicated an alcohol intake of 1 large glass of wine (250ml) every day, equivalent to 21 units per week. The NHS recommends that men and women should not drink more than 14 units per week.
The difference in the advice given is *shocking*.
1. AlcoholChangeUK: "Watch out! You are drinking at levels that could put your health at risk and you would benefit from cutting down"
2. DrinkAware: "Great news! You are at lower risk of alcohol-related problems. This means you are at lower risk of serious diseases such as stroke, heart and liver disease, and seven types of cancer and may already be noticing the benefits of lower risk drinking such as deeper sleep, more energy and brighter moods."
DrinkAware claims to 'support you with the advice and information you need'. And yet it is clear from this experiment that DrinkAware, which is very widely used across the UK, is providing inappropriate reassurance to people who are drinking unsafe amounts of alcohol.
The source of this misinformation is clear: DrinkAware is funded largely by the alcohol industry.
As Eduardo and others have said, the alcohol industry wants people to drink more alcohol so they can make more profits. In fact, in the UK a staggering 40% of adults drink more than 14 units per week. These are the main source of profit for the alcohol industry and we now see that they are being inappropriately advised to carry on drinking as they are!
And it gets worse! Let's say I drink 2 glasses of wine every day, equivalent to 42 units per week.
1. AlcoholChangeUK says: "Drinking at this level is likely to be harming your health. You may wish to speak to your GP or an alcohol professional to look at your options for taking back control of your drinking."
2. DrinkAware says again: "Great news! You are at lower risk of alcohol-related problems."
Something is *very* wrong here.
I noticed another big difference between the AlcoholChangeUK and the DrinkAware test. The former focuses on number of units of alcohol, whereas the latter also asks 7 questions such as "How often during the last year have you needed an alcoholic drink in the morning to get yourself going after a heavy drinking session?". None of the questions would be answered in the affirmative unless someone had a very serious alcohol dependence. In my opinion, these questions were deliberately designed by the alcohol industry so that the majority of respondents would say "No" to each one and thereby feel reassured and motivated to carry on drinking 14-42 (or more) units per week.
DrinkAware's own website claims to be reliable: 'An independent review' concluded: 'No evidence was found within the 50 pages reviewed that the Drinkaware website is intentionally misleading the public. When compared to similar types of site, the content on the Drinkaware website was found to be of similar level of accuracy and well-tailored to the 'general public' audience at which it is aimed.'
I do the experiment a third time. Let's try *3* large glasses of wine (=1 whole bottle of wine every day), equivalent to 63 units per week.
1. AlcoholChangeUK says: "Drinking at this level is likely to be harming your health. You may wish to speak to your GP or an alcohol professional to look at your options for taking back control of your drinking."
2. DrinkAware: "Ready to make a change? You are at increasing risk of alcohol-related problems"
It seems that Drinkaware only advises change when the alcohol consumption is very dangerously high.
I would welcome oher HIFA members to replicate my findings:
https://alcoholchange.org.uk/alcohol-facts/interactive-tools/unit-calcul...
https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/tools/drinking-check#/
What tools are available for the public in other countries? What advice do they give for people who are consuming much higher quantities of alcohol than is safe (eg 21, 42, 63 units per week)?
Best wishes, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org
