Alcohol can bring about a number of health risks and serious illnesses.
Regularly drinking more than 14 units a week can increase the risk of you damaging your health.
Under UK government recommendations, 14 units it the equivalent of six pints of average-strength beer or 10 small glasses of low-strength wine.
There is no “safe” level of drinking, but there are recommendations for what to do to keep health risks from alcohol to a low level if you drink most weeks.
Men and women are advised not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis, drinking should be spread over three or more days if you regularly drink as much as 14 units a week, and if you want to cut down you should try to have several drink-free days each week.
So what can happen if you regularly drink more than the recommended units each week?
The NHS lists six illnesses, including cancers of the mouth, throat and breast, stroke, heart disease, liver disease, brain damage, and damage to the nervous system.
It adds: “The effects of alcohol on your health will depend on how much you drink. The less you drink, the lower the health risks.”
Alcoholic liver disease is a problem caused by drinking too much alcohol.
There are three main stages – alcoholic fatty liver disease, alcoholic hepatitis, and cirrhosis.
Alcoholic fatty liver disease is caused by drinking a large amount of alcohol, even for a few days, and the build-up of fats in the liver.
Alcoholic hepatitis is caused by alcohol misuse over a longer period of time, and cirrhosis is where the liver has become significantly scarred. If the person doesn’t stop drinking at this stage, they have a less than 50 per cent chance of living for at least five more years.
If you are healthy, eat a balanced diet and take regular exercise, sensible drinking should not cause liver problems.
But what is classed as sensible drinking?
Typical units are outlined by the NHS. A 750ml bottle of red, white or rose wine (13.5 per cent) contains 10 units.
A single small shot of spirits (25ml, 5.5 per cent) is one unit.
A small glass of red/white/rose wine (125ml, 12 per cent) is 1.5 units.
A bottle of lager/beer/cider (330ml, 5 per cent) is 1.7 units.
A pint of lower-strength lager/beer/cider (3.6 per cent) is 2 units.
A standard glass of red/white/rose wine (175ml, 12 per cent) is 2.1 units.
If the liver becomes severely damaged symptoms of alcohol-related liver disease may begin to show. According to the NHS, there are seven signs to watch for.