Safer measures

“I’m driving so won’t have a whisky (14ml alcohol) but will have a pint instead (at least 18ml alcohol).”
By The Newsroom
Published 4th Dec 2014, 00:00 BST

How often have you heard this? If you cannot instantly arrive at the alcohol content of a pint of 4.5 per cent beer (26ml) then the information provided is useless.

Now would be a good time to leave the devilish percentages to the excise man and the arcane “units” to the quack.

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For the consumer, the dispensing pump should be clearly marked 1pt = 26ml alcohol or whatever. Container drinks should have the total alcohol clearly marked in ml.

Using the accepted international small volume unit of measure might even have an effect on consumption. A whacking big 250ml of pure alcohol somehow has a more inhibitory ring to it than the weekly “ration” of 25 little units.

(Dr) A McCormick

Kirkland Road

Dumfries