Ministers will today launch a new series of advertisements designed to educate the public on how many alcoholic units are in each drink.
It will be aimed at the over 25s, particularly middle class wine drinkers who drink at home in the evening.
Official figures show that more than 500 people a day were admitted to hospitals in England after drinking too much last year.
The Government recommends that women should consume no more than two or three units a day and men no more then three or four.
The new campaign is designed to inform women that they can reach that limit with just one large glass of 12 per cent strength wine. Two pints of strong beer would push men over the limit.
Three-quarters of drinkers do not know a typical glass of wine contains THREE units of alcohol.
An internet survey found half those questioned drank alcohol at least two or three times a week. And although 82% said they knew what a unit of alcohol was, 77% did not know how many units were in a typical class of wine.
More than half (55%) thought a large glass of wine would contain two units, when it actually contains three.
Joe Korner, from The Stroke Association, said the organisation fully supports efforts to make people aware of the health risks associated with excessive drinking.
"There are around 1,100 haemorrhagic stroke deaths every year associated with alcohol and statistics show that women who drink over double their recommended limits are more than four times likely to suffer a stroke, and men almost twice as likely," he said.
(BBC/Telegraph)
26/08/08 @ 18:10