Shock amount of calories Brits consume through booze revealed

Brits consume 75,000 calories in alcohol alone every year, a poll suggests.

That is the equivalent to eating 328 Mars bars, 152 Big Macs or over 1,700 chicken nuggets.

A large glass of white wine can have 240 calories, while a pint of Stella Artois has 230. 

It means that having just two wines or beers can be almost as calorific as eating a McDonald’s Big Mac (493). 

The findings hail from a survey of 2,000 Brits, who were asked by an online booze retailer how much they drink a week.

Results suggested that the average Brit consumes around 18 units of alcohol every week — above the UK’s recommended amount (14). 

In reality, 18 units amounts to around nine medium 175ml glasses of white wine.

There are 83 calories on average in a medium-sized glass of white wine, DrinkWell says.

That equates to roughly 747 calories per week, or 38,844 a year. 

A standard pint of lager also has two units of alcohol, as well as approximately 239 calories.

This means nine pints of beer, totting up to 18 units a week, would come to around 2,151 calories a week, or 111,852 a year.

DrinkWell added up the calories for wine and beer across the year and divided that figure by two to publicize the 75,000 figure.

Tom Bell, founder of DrinkWell, said: ‘It’s no surprise that Brits are health conscious when it comes to alcoholic drinks and yet we are still consuming a huge amount of calories across the year.’

He said the comparisons were ‘staggering to think about’.

‘For those who are concerned about the nutritional value in alcohol, there’s no need to cut out alcohol completely or search for lower alcoholic drinks,’ he added.

‘There are plenty of low calorie, low carb, zero sugar, and full-strength alcoholic drinks available on the market.’

DO YOU DRINK TOO MUCH ALCOHOL? THE 10 QUESTIONS THAT REVEAL YOUR RISK

One screening tool used widely by medical professionals is the AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Tests). Developed in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, the 10-question test is considered to be the gold standard in helping to determine if someone has alcohol abuse problems.

The test has been reproduced here with permission from the WHO.

To complete it, answer each question and note down the corresponding score.

YOUR SCORE:

0-7: You are within the sensible drinking range and have a low risk of alcohol-related problems.

Over 8: Indicate harmful or hazardous drinking.

8-15: Medium level of risk. Drinking at your current level puts you at risk of developing problems with your health and life in general, such as work and relationships. Consider cutting down (see below for tips).

16-19: Higher risk of complications from alcohol. Cutting back on your own may be difficult at this level, as you may be dependent, so you may need professional help from your GP and/or a counsellor.

20 and over: Possible dependence. Your drinking is already causing you problems, and you could very well be dependent. You should definitely consider stopping gradually or at least reduce your drinking. You should seek professional help to ascertain the level of your dependence and the safest way to withdraw from alcohol.

Severe dependence may need medically assisted withdrawal, or detox, in a hospital or a specialist clinic. This is due to the likelihood of severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the first 48 hours needing specialist treatment.