Weekly units diary

Add up your drinks for each day of the week to see the total, your drink free days and your heaviest day.

Your details

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Sex
Your weekly aim
Last week, if you know it (optional)

A standard 175 ml glass of 12% wine is 2.1 units and a pint of 4% beer is about 2.3.

Your week, Monday to Sunday

15.6

units this week, above the 14 unit guideline

  • Drink free days3 of 7
  • Heaviest daySaturday, 6.8 units
  • Days over the 6 unit session line1
  • Friday to Sunday share87% of the week
  • A week at your aim of 14.0 units, heaviest days trimmed firstTue 2.1, Fri 4.6, Sat 5.2, Sun 2.1
  • Units to trim1.6 units, no day above 5.2
  • A year at this rate811 units, 45,427 kcal from the alcohol

Regularly drinking over 14 units a week raises the risk of long term harm. You had 1 day above the single session line. One or two heavy sessions a week raise the risk of accidents, injury and long term illness, even when the weekly total looks fine, so the plan trims those days first. 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

A fairly ordinary week

2.1 on Tuesday, 4.6 on Friday, 6.8 on Saturday and 2.1 on Sunday comes to 15.6 units, just over the 14 unit guideline. There are 3 drink free days, which is good, but Saturday's 6.8 units is over the 6 unit single session line for women, so that one evening carries extra risk of accidents and injury even though the week looks only a little high.

To reach 14 units we trim the heaviest days first, so no day is over the session line and the lighter days stay as they are. Here the 2.1 unit days and Friday's 4.6 stay, and Saturday comes down to 14 − 2.1 − 4.6 − 2.1 = 5.2 units, 1.6 units (about one small glass of wine) less. Set a lower aim and the level drops for every heavy day together.

Two different risks

The week and the night

The 14 unit guideline is about long term harm such as liver disease and some cancers. The single session lines (more than 8 units for men, 6 for women) are about the short term: falls, accidents and poor decisions. A week can be fine on one and not the other.

Easy changes

Small swaps that add up

  • Add one more drink free day
  • Swap a large glass of wine for a small one (3 units down to 1.5)
  • Pick a lower strength beer: a 3.6% pint is 2 units, a 5.2% one is 3
  • Alternate with water or soft drinks on a night out

Read with care

What this cannot tell you

  • Spot dependenceNeeding a drink to get going or feeling shaky without one is worth talking to a GP about.
  • Cover pregnancyThe advice is not to drink at all if you are pregnant or trying.
  • Make anything safe for drivingIf you will drive, do not drink.

Questions

Common questions

Is it OK to save my units for the weekend?

The NHS advice is to spread them over 3 or more days. Drinking a lot in one or two sessions raises the risk of accidents and injury, and can be harder on the body.

How many drink free days should I have?

There is no set number, but the NHS suggests several each week if you want to cut down.

What counts as binge drinking?

More than 8 units in a single session for men, or more than 6 for women, according to the NHS.

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.

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