Switch to low and alcohol-free

Low and alcohol-free drinks are substitutes for standard alcoholic drinks like beer, wine, cider, or spirits like gin. They are marketed and promoted as a replacement for these standard drinks, so aim to recreate their taste, look and feel – they often have similar looking adverts, cans or bottles.

The main difference between alcoholic, low alcohol and alcohol-free beer is the amount of alcohol they contain:

• Most ‘alcohol-free’ beer contains 0.05% alcohol by volume (ABV), or less
• Low alcohol beer contains 1.2% ABV, or less
• The average strength of conventional beers is 4.4% ABV

Choosing a low alcohol drink can improve your health and be an effective way to cut your overall alcohol consumption. 

In the UK, government guidance says drinks labelled as ‘low alcohol’ can contain up to 1.2% alcohol by volume (ABV). So, one 500ml can of 1.2% ABV low alcohol beer contains 0.6 units of alcohol (that's just over half a unit).

Substituting low alcohol products for standard alcoholic drinks only works if you don’t add low alcohol products to any alcohol you usually drink, otherwise you’ll be drinking more alcohol in total - not less. It’s also important to remember that low alcohol drinks are often still high in sugar – so they aren’t automatically a ‘healthy’ or low-calorie choice.

These days, there are more alcohol-free drinks to choose from than ever before. And we’re not talking about soft drinks like lemonade, fruit juice or water.

Government guidance in England says that alcohol-free drinks may contain up to 0.05% ABV (alcohol by volume).³ So, a 500ml can of a 0.05% ABV drink would contain 0.025ml of alcohol - one fortieth (1/40) of a unit of alcohol.

Because they have less alcohol in them, switching from full-strength to alcohol-free can be a good way to cut your units - but only if you aren’t adding them on top of any alcohol you usually drink.