Guides
Plain-English guides with sources: a month off alcohol, sleep, mood, units, cutting down, and what drinking does to your liver, blood pressure and cancer risk.
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- Dry January & dry monthsDry January benefits: what the studies actually measuredOne month without alcohol cut insulin resistance by 26% and blood pressure by about 6% in a UK study. What changed, for whom, and what lasted 6 months.7 min read
- Dry January & dry monthsDry January tips that are backed by researchPractical Dry January tips drawn from NIAAA, the NHS and studies of 857 participants: plan for urges, practise your no, track every day and know when to stop.7 min read
- Dry January & dry monthsSober October: how it works, the rules, and what a month off can doSober October is a 31-day alcohol-free fundraiser for Alcohol Change UK. How it works, why the Golden Ticket is gone and what one month without alcohol changes.5 min read
- Dry January & dry monthsWhat happens when you stop drinking? It depends on one questionIf your body depends on alcohol, stopping can bring withdrawal within 6 to 12 hours. If not, studies of a month off found lower blood pressure and weight.6 min read
- Alcohol & sleepWhy you wake up at 3 a.m. after drinking, and what alcohol does to sleepAlcohol helps you fall asleep, then disrupts the second half of the night and keeps your heart rate up. What sleep studies found, and what helps.7 min read
- Anxiety & moodHangxiety: why you feel anxious after drinking, and what helpsHangxiety is anxiety during a hangover. A 2026 review of 22 studies linked hangovers with anxiety, stress and low mood. Causes, how long it lasts, what helps.6 min read
- How much is too muchHow many drinks is binge drinking? The official definitionsBinge drinking is 4+ drinks for women or 5+ for men in about 2 hours, per NIAAA. Heavy and high-intensity drinking defined, in US drinks and UK units.5 min read
- How much is too muchIs a glass of wine a day bad for you? What the evidence says nowOne glass a day is low risk by some guidelines and not others, depending on its size. What it adds up to, the cancer evidence and the red wine myth.6 min read
- Units & standard drinksHow many units are in a bottle of wine? A table for every strengthA 750 ml bottle of 12% wine is 9 UK units, or about 5 US standard drinks. Units and standard drinks for every strength from 11% to 15%, and per glass.4 min read
- Units & standard drinksHow many units are in a pint? Lager, beer and cider by strengthA pint of 4% beer is 2.3 UK units; a pint of strong 5.2% lager is 3. Units, US standard drinks and Irish standard drinks in a pint at every strength.5 min read
- Cutting downHow to stop drinking every night: a practical planBreak a nightly drinking habit with strategies from NIAAA and the NHS: track, set drink-free days, plan for your trigger hour and know when to quit outright.7 min read
- Cutting downHow to cut down on alcohol: a plan that starts with one numberCount what you drink, set a weekly goal with drink-free days, and use the NHS and NIAAA tips that make it stick. Plus when quitting is the better goal.7 min read
- Cutting downDrink-free days: how many a week, and how to make them stickThe NHS suggests several drink-free days each week; Ireland's HSE says at least 2 to 3. Why they matter, how to spread a week, and how to keep them.4 min read
- Cutting downHow to say no to a drink without a long explanationShort, firm and friendly works best. Ready-made lines for turning down a drink, what to do when someone keeps pushing, and telling friends you're not drinking.4 min read
- Cutting downAlcohol-free, non-alcoholic, low alcohol: what the labels really meanIn the UK "alcohol-free" means 0.05% or less; in the US "non-alcoholic" beer can hold up to 0.5%. What each label allows, in units, and who should be careful.4 min read
- Alcohol & your bodyCalories in alcohol: wine, beer and spirits comparedAlcohol has 7 calories per gram, almost as many as fat. A 175 ml glass of wine is up to 158 kcal and a pint of beer up to 222 kcal, per the NHS. How it adds up.4 min read