And
the government is spending £10 million (Rs. 820 million) to fund
this campaign!
The 'Units' campaign, which was launched yesterday by
the UK health minister Dawn Primarolo, will run through a series of advertisements
on TV, radio, hoardings and
in the press.
A poll by YouGov discovered that while 82% of English drinkers
claim to know what a unit of alcohol is, 77% were unaware that a large
glass of wine contains 3 units.
About £6m have been earmarked for
the 'Units' drive for the current fiscal year while the balance £4m
will be spent in June for the anti binge-drinking campaign, says a report
in Harpers.
'Glass sizes have grown larger and the alcohol strength of
many wines has increased, so it's no wonder some of us have lost track
of our alcohol consumption,' said the minister.
"This campaign is all about helping people understand how many units
are in their favourite drinks, and helping them to keep an eye on their
intake for the good of their long-term health."
Those of UK wine drinkers who are free subscribers to delWine already
know that a unit is 125 ml (6 glasses to a standard 750 mL bottle) and
1-2 units a day regularly for women and 2-3 units for men are healthy
and wholesome, beyond which they are harmful for blood
pressure, cancer, diabetes, liver and a plethora of avoidable diseases.
It is also important to know that the alcohol content should be not
more than 12-12.5% while calculating the unit. 'Strong' and powerful 14-16%
alcohol wines need to be taken less of, to maintain the healthy units.
No wonder we still advocate ‘drink fine wine and
in moderation, preferably with meals’-editor |