Sensible Beer Drinking

We at Fourcorners encourage anyone who is 18 or over and drinks beer or spirits, to do so sensibly.

Sharing a few beers in a pub or at home with friends is an excellent social occasion - vital in this virtual world we all seem to find ourselves in nowadays.

The purpose of consuming a beer or spirit from our range should be to enjoy the product, get the taste, saviour the taste and enjoy the company you are in, or if seeking tranquillity, enjoy that also.

The purpose of consuming our products should not be to get drunk, bladdered, blotto or whatever silly word people use to laugh off getting out of control due to consuming too much alcohol.

The key message we have is that it is okay to indulge in alcohol – but it is not okay to overindulge.

If you are on a long night out or at a party, consume lots of water between alcoholic drinks. You will feel much better for it the following morning.

But if you suffer from depression, we do not recommend you consume any alcohol. It will not make you feel better!

How much beer or spirits is it okay to drink?

A standard drink measures the amount of alcohol, not the amount of liquid you're drinking - because it's the alcohol content that is most important to track.
One standard drink equates to approx. 12.6ml of pure alcohol. Your liver can only remove roughly one standard drink per hour.

How do I measure the level of pure alcohol in my drink?

You should refer to the alcohol by volume on the packaging of your drink. The exact amount of alcohol in each drink depends on the alcohol percentage of that particular drink. This is called the alcohol by volume, or for short, the ABV. Similar products in containers of the same size may hold different numbers of standard drinks. For example, A 500ml bottle of beer at 5%abv equates to just under 2 standard drinks. To calculate (500*.05)/12.65 = 1.976 standard drinks. A measure of vodka (35.5ml ) at 40%abv = 1.13 standard drinks.

What do the authorities say?

The Department of Health and Children in Ireland 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. It is important that they are spread out over the week and not saved for one session or big night out. This equates to a daily low risk limit of 2 or 3 standards drinks for women, or 3 or 4 standard drinks for men, with some alcohol free days over the course of the week. It is advised that when you do drink that you consume plenty of water or non-alcoholic beverages between alcoholic drinks. Don't forget: when these limits are consistently exceeded, health risks start to accumulate.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) regards drinking amounts in excess of the above weekly limits, and up to 40 standard drinks a week for men, or up to 28 standard drinks a week for women to be 'hazardous'. Drinking at these levels places you at an increased risk of problems such as raised blood pressure, stroke and liver cirrhosis.

The WHO regards as 'harmful or definitely dangerous' sustained drinking above the 'hazardous' level and is likely to cause physical, mental and social problems.