UK drinkers confused over safe alcohol limits

By Tim Castle

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - A trend to serving wine in larger glasses has added to public confusion over how much alcohol is safe to drink, the British government said on Monday.

Nearly four out of five British drinkers were unaware that a large glass of wine contains three units of alcohol -- the maximum recommended daily limit for women, a Department of Health survey found.

It released the findings as it launched a national advertising campaign -- Know Your Limits -- to promote alcohol awareness.

"Glass sizes have grown larger and the strength of many wines and beers has increased, so it's no wonder some of us have lost track of our alcohol consumption," said Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo.

The government is under pressure to combat rising levels of binge drinking, particularly by young people, blamed for aggravating anti-social behavior and violence.

The Department of Health is spending 6 million pounds ($11.74 million) on its awareness campaign, and the Home Office will follow up with a 4 million pound campaign against binge-drinking next month.

But researchers questioned how much notice young people would take.

Bath University psychologist Andrew Bengry-Howell said he had found that young people took no account of unit limits.