The Public Health (Alcohol) Bill, to be enacted by the end of 2015, will include many measures aimed at tackling overconsumption of alcohol in Ireland. While very moderate drinking poses little threat to health (indeed there is evidence it may be good for you), consumption of alcohol beyond a low level is unhealthy.
Chemically, alcohol is ethanol (C2H6O). Tiny amounts of ethanol are naturally present in the human body: about 3g of alcohol per day are produced by fermentation in the gut. The natural concentration of ethanol in blood is 0.1mg-0.3mg per 100ml. The blood-alcohol limit for legal driving is 50mg per 100ml. The detoxification enzymes present in the body break ethanol down to harmless carbon dioxide and water; 90 per cent of detoxification takes place in the liver.
Medicine uses the “unit of alcohol” concept when advising on the health implications of drinking. One unit contains 10g of ethanol, which is equivalent to a half pint of 4.3 per cent alcohol-by- volume beer, a small glass (125ml) of wine or a pub measure (35.5ml) of spirits. Official low-risk alcohol consumption guidelines for adults recommend a limit of 17 units per week for men and 11 units for women. Drinking more than this is termed “hazardous drinking”, and “binge-drinking” (six or more units in a single session) is particularly hazardous.
Overconsumption of alcohol is closely related to 60 different medical diagnoses, including cancer, stroke, heart disease, cirrhosis of the liver and pancreatitis. Drinking two large glasses of wine (250ml) or two pints of strong lager (5.3 per cent alcohol) per day increases the risk of contracting mouth cancer threefold, and women who regularly drink slightly above the recommended guidelines increase their chances of contracting breast cancer by 20 per cent (UK National Health Service).
Source: William Reville, Irish Times, 15/03/15
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