Britons consume 75,000 calories worth of alcohol each year alone, a poll suggests.
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That’s equivalent to eating 328 Mars bars, 152 Big Macs, or over 1,700 chicken nuggets.
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A tall glass of white wine can have 240 calories, while a pint of Stella Artois has 230.
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It means having just two wines or beers can be almost as high in calories as eating a McDonald’s Big Mac (493).
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A tall glass of white wine has 240 calories which is the same as a pack of fruit pastilles, a pint of Stella Artois is 230 calories which is the same as a slice of pizza and a Gordon’s gin and tonic is 220 calories which is the equivalent to a cornet to eat
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The findings come from a survey of 2,000 Britons, who were asked by an online liquor retailer how much they drink per week.
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The results suggested that the average Briton consumes about 18 units of alcohol each week – more than the UK’s recommended amount of 14.
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In reality, 18 units equates to about nine 6-ounce (175 ml) medium glasses of white wine.
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There are an average of 83 calories in a medium glass of white wine, says DrinkWell.
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That works out to about 747 calories per week, or 38,844 per year.
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A standard pint of lager also has two units of alcohol, as well as about 239 calories.
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This means that nine pints of beer, up to 18 units per week, would provide about 2,151 calories per week, or 111,852 per year.
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DrinkWell added up the calories for wine and beer during the year and divided that figure by two to reveal the figure of 75,000.
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Tom Bell, founder of DrinkWell, said: ‘It’s no surprise that Britons are health conscious when it comes to alcoholic drinks and yet we consume huge amounts of calories all year round.’
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He said the comparisons were “staggering to think about.”
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“For those concerned about the nutritional value of alcohol, there is no need to cut alcohol completely or look for less alcoholic drinks,” he added.
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“There are plenty of low-calorie, low-carb, sugar-free, and high-alcohol drinks on the market.”
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DO YOU DRINK TOO MUCH ALCOHOL? THE 10 QUESTIONS THAT REVEAL YOUR RISK
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A screening tool commonly used by medical professionals is the AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Tests). Developed in conjunction with the World Health Organization, the 10-question test is considered the gold standard for helping determine whether someone is abusing alcohol.
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The test is reproduced here with permission from the WHO.
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To complete it, answer each question and record the corresponding score.
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YOUR SCORE:
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0-7: You are within the limits of sensible drinking and have a low risk of alcohol-related problems.
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More than 8: Indicate harmful or dangerous drinking.
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8-15: Medium risk level. If you drink at your current level, you risk having problems with your health and life in general, such as work and relationships. Consider cutting down (see below for tips).
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16-19: Higher risk of complications from alcohol. Cutting back yourself can be difficult at this level, because you are dependent and therefore need professional help from your GP and/or a counselor.
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20 and older: Possible dependency. Your drinking is already causing problems and you could very well be dependent. You should definitely consider stopping gradually or at least drinking less. You should seek professional help to determine your dependency and the safest way to stop drinking.
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Severe dependence may require medically assisted weaning or detox in a hospital or specialist clinic. This is due to the potential for severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the first 48 hours that require specialist treatment.
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