You may be surprised to know how high in calories alcoholic drinks can be.
Use our alcohol calorie calculator to see how many calories are in different drinks. You can also use the calculator to work out how many calories you have consumed in alcohol over the course of a day or week.
Some of the immediate effects of giving up alcohol are feeling better in the mornings, being less tired and feeling more energetic. You may also find that the quality of your sleep improves as well. The longer-term benefits of not drinking alcohol are that you will be at a lower risk of certain health conditions, and will be reducing your risk of several cancers, including bowel, breast, liver, mouth and throat, oesophageal, and stomach.
Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram, which is almost as much as fat (9 calories per gram). The calories from alcohol offer little-to-no nutritional value.
Different alcoholic drinks have different amounts of calories in them, and some can also be high in sugar. The higher the alcohol by volume (ABV), the higher the alcohol content and typically the higher the calorie count of the drink.
There are around 180–250 calories, depending upon the strength. The higher the alcohol content the higher the number of calories it will contain.
There are around 114 calories in a small (125ml) glass of wine (13% ABV), 159 calories in a regular (175ml) glass of wine, and 228 calories in a large (250ml) glass of wine.
Figures from Statistics on Alcohol, England 2019, found that 63% of men and 52% of women had drunk alcohol in the last week, and 21% of adults drunk more than 14 units per week. The proportion of men and women drinking was shown to increase with age, with the highest among both men and women aged 55 to 65 (72% and 63% respectively).
For cancer prevention, it’s best not to drink alcohol. If you do drink alcoholic drinks, follow national guidelines.
