Convicted Drivers
What Is A Unit Of Alcohol?
12 August 2026
5 min readAccording to the NHS, one unit of alcohol is equivalent to 10ml of pure alcohol. In terms of standard drinks measurements, there are approximately:
2 units in one pint of low strength beer or cider (3.6%)
3 units in one pint of high strength beer or cider (5.2%)
2.1 units in one 175ml glass of average strength wine (12%)
3 units in one 250ml glass of average strength wine (12%)
1 unit in a single measure of spirit (25ml)
Other factors to be aware of
However, this is not an exact science and many other factors can affect how quickly or slowly your body breaks down alcohol. These include:
Weight
Gender
Age
Metabolism
Stress levels
Medication you may be taking
Type and strength of the alcohol consumed
For more information about how long alcohol stays in the system, click here.
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