An increasing number of people are now aware of the size of a standard alcoholic drink, new research has found.
Six out of 10 adults surveyed by Millward Browne Lansdowne, knew that a standard drink was half a pint of beer, a small glass of wine or a pub measure of spirits.
Last year, five in ten adults knew the correct measures. The Department of Health advises that up to 14 standard drinks a week for women and up to 21 standard drinks a week for men is considered low risk.
A bottle of wine (750ml) with an alcohol percentage of 12 per cent contains seven standard drinks.
The research was commissioned by drinkaware.ie, a website set up by Meas, the drinks industry body that promotes responsible drinking.
The highest percentage of respondents who answered correctly (66 per cent) were between 35 to 49 years of age.
Fionnuala Sheehan, drinkaware.ie chief executive said it was very positive to see the increased understanding that existed among adults about what constituted a standard drink.
"It is more important now than ever before that consumers are well informed as a substantial part of drinking takes place in the unregulated home setting," she said.
"This weekend, we will see a significant increase in home drinking as the majority of the pubs close for Good Friday. Our message to those that will be drinking at home is to keep in mind what a standard drink is...and to take care when pouring measures at home, as home measures are generally much greater than pub measures."
She also encouraged people to avoid driving with alcohol in their system this weekend. "It takes our bodies about one hour on average to eliminate one standard drink. Do the maths and make sure you are safe to drive before getting behind the wheel."
