Alcohol intake: measure for measure
BMJ 2001; 323 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.323.7327.1439 (Published 22 December 2001) Cite this as: BMJ 2001;323:1439All rapid responses
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Unlike many other fields of human activity, in the art and science of
drinking Russia is on far more advanced position then the Western
civilisation.
All you have to do to calculate the dose of alcohol is just to fill in an
electronic form of the Bodun software. The questions you have to answer
are:
1. Your body mass.
2. Your gender.
3. Type of drink (from "something resembling beer" to pure ethanol).
4. Type of company. Options include a) Romantic intimacy, b) A party, c)
Alone.
5. Type of meal. Choices are a) None, b) Hot Meal, c) Prickled
Cucumber/Slice of Lemon/Some Salad, d) Whatever is found.
6. The purpose of drinking – a) To drink oneself into a slight stupor, b)
To get fun, c) To relax and have a good chat.
7. Do you have hangover? a) Often, b) Occasionally, with easy recovery
8. Do you have to go home after drinking? If "yes" – a) Is it far away?
b) Do you expect a quarrel back home?
9. Do you have to go to work tomorrow? If "yes" - Is it going to be
something important?
After clicking "Calculate" button you have precise volume of the
chosen drink (+/-5 ml) on a special form with a stamp and a sign of a
hangover doctor.
Merry Christmas!
Competing interests: No competing interests
Time for mandatory 'Unit Labelling'
'It's hard to calculate how much you are drinking - but you should
know'.
The editorial comprehensively illustrated both the difficulties
inherent in calculating the number of units consumed and the dangers in
excess alcohol consumption making it advisable that 'you should know'.
'So what should we do?' - Australia's commonsense (and research
based)approach was to legislate for compulsory labelling of alcoholic
beverages with 'standard drinks'.In the UK we are at least 6 years behind
Australia with only those drinks companies and retailers in agreement with
'Unit Labelling' taking part in a voluntary scheme launched in 1999.Some
companies could be praised for their clear bold labelling whereas others
employ tiny difficult to read symbols of dubious use.
We called for the Government to legislate for bold 'unit labelling'
on the front of alcoholic drink containers (ref 1)and this has now been
supported by the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin.(ref 2)A natural
conclusion for Ferner and Chambers would surely also be to call for unit
labelling.
After over a decade of offering health advice on alcohol in terms of
'Units' isn't it time that Health Professionals ended the confusion? -
the BMA and Royal Colleges should be calling the Government to introduce
compulsory unit labelling.
1.Webster-Harrison PJ, Barton AG et al. General Practitioners' and
Practice Nurses'knowledge of how much patients should and do drink. Br J
Gen Pract 2001;51:218-20
2.Getting tight on units of alcohol. DTB 2001;39:95
Competing interests: No competing interests