Night out unit planner

Plan a night out: units, pace, spend and how you are getting home.

Your details

6 drinks over 5 h

14.0

units, more than the 8 unit single session line

Your pace2.8 units an hour; the body clears about 1
Alcohol likely still in your blood after your last drinkabout 9 h 3 min, often longer
Calories from the alcohol alone786 kcal
Rough spend£36

Above the session line the risk of accidents and injury goes up. Eat before you go, alternate with water or soft drinks, and sit out a round if rounds speed you up. Sort your way home before you go out. Never drink and drive. How fast alcohol clears varies a lot from person to person, so there is no reliable way to know you are under the limit, and you can still be over it the morning after. Scotland's limit is lower than the rest of the UK's. If you will drive, the safest choice is no alcohol at all.

Worried about your drinking, or someone else's? Your GP can help, and Drinkaware and Drinkline (0300 123 1110, free and confidential) are there too. Call 999 if someone cannot be woken, is breathing slowly or is fitting after drinking.

The working

3 pints, 2 wines and a double over 5 hours

Three 4.5% pints are 7.7 units, two 175 ml glasses of 12.5% wine are 4.4 and a double is 2, so the night comes to 14 units, a whole week's guideline in one go and well over the 8 unit single session line for men. That is 2.8 units an hour against the roughly 1 an hour your body clears, so about 9 hours of alcohol is still to clear when you head home. Six drinks at £6 is about £36.

Pacing

Small changes, big difference

Eat a proper meal before you go out
Alternate each drink with water or a soft drink
Sit out a round, or buy your own if rounds speed you up
Swap to a lower strength lager or a small glass of wine
Decide your last drink time before you go

Getting home

Sort it first

Book a taxi, check the last train or bus, or agree who is the sober driver before the first drink. Make sure your phone is charged and someone knows where you are.

Read with care

What this cannot tell you

Make it safe to driveIf you will drive, do not drink. Many people are still affected the morning after.
Predict how you will feelFood, tiredness and medicines change how alcohol hits.
Price your night exactlyIt uses one average price.

Questions

Common questions

How many units is too many on a night out?

The NHS calls more than 8 units in a session for men, or 6 for women, binge drinking. Risk of accidents and injury rises above that.

How fast does the body clear alcohol?

About one unit an hour on average. Drinking faster than that means it builds up in your blood.

How many calories are in a night out?

Each unit has about 56 kcal from the alcohol alone; sugary mixers, cocktails and the kebab add more.

Can this tell me if I am safe to drive?

No, and no calculator can. Alcohol affects everyone differently and you can be unsafe even under the legal limit. How fast alcohol clears varies a lot, you can still be over the limit the next morning, and Scotland's limit is lower than the rest of the UK's. If you are going to drive, the safest choice is no alcohol at all.

Sources

Last checked 21 October 2026. Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we will fix it.

If drinking is on your mind

Your GP can help in confidence. Drinkline is free on 0300 123 1110, and Drinkaware has tools to help you cut down. If you drink heavily every day, do not stop suddenly without advice. Call 999 if someone cannot be woken, is breathing slowly or is fitting after drinking.