Know your pour
Drinkaware are helping consumers take a fresh look at their drinking and make positive changes by understanding how much they are drinking.
It can be difficult to judge how much alcohol you’re pouring at home. In pubs and restaurants, drinks are served in measured amounts, but at home it’s easy to pour a little more without realising it. Knowing what a measured amount of alcohol looks like can give you a simple visual guide and help you better understand how much you’re drinking.
In 2025, 32% of UK drinkers drank smaller glasses of wine or bottle of beer as a moderation technique.2
About the campaign
The Know your pour campaign is here to help you understand what a 125ml glass of wine looks like, so you can make more informed choices when pouring at home.
When you’re in pubs and restaurants, wine is usually served in measured amounts. At home, it can be harder to judge and easy to overpour. Knowing what a 125ml pour looks like with a wine measure gives you a simple visual tool to help you pour with confidence.
Three steps to 'know your pour'
1. Know your ABV
ABV (Alcohol by Volume) tells you how much alcohol is in a drink. The higher the ABV, the more alcohol it contains. Choosing lower-strength options can help reduce the number of alcohol units you consume. Checking the label helps you compare different drinks and make informed choices.
2. Measure your pour
Use a pour measurer to help you visualise serving sizes, whether it’s a 125ml glass of wine, a single 25ml measure of spirit or a half-pint of beer or cider. This can help you better understand how much you’re pouring and keep track of your alcohol units.
3. Track your units
Download the MyDrinkaware app to log your drinks, monitor your alcohol units, and access practical tools and tips to help you stay on track. The link is at the bottom of the page.
87% of UK drinkers moderate their drinking in one way or another. 1
Tips to help you moderate
Choose alcohol-free alternatives
Swapping some alcoholic drinks for alcohol-free alternatives can help you reduce the amount of alcohol you drink while still enjoying the occasion. Try alternating between alcoholic and alcohol-free drinks to help keep track of how much you’re drinking.Plan drink-free days
Having regular days without alcohol can help reduce your overall alcohol consumption. Plan ahead and think about activities you enjoy that don't need to involve drinking.Enjoy drinks with food
Eating while drinking can help you pace yourself and make the occasion more enjoyable. Try having a meal or a snack alongside your drinks.Set a finish time and stick to it
Choosing a time to stop drinking, whether at home or out, helps with pacing and feeling in control.
Build support and social alternatives
Changing habits can be easier when you’re not doing it alone. Support, connection, and alcohol-free activities can make cutting back feel more natural and enjoyable.
Ready to keep track?
If you're ready to change the way you drink, get the free app from Drinkaware; track your alcohol consumption, calculate units and calories and set goals to help you moderate your drinking!
What does moderation mean?
Moderation is when people make changes to their drinking habits and use simple techniques to manage the amount they drink to keep their alcohol consumption within the CMO guidelines for 14 units of alcohol a week. This could include having several drink-free days each week, alternating between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, or not keeping alcohol at home.
For some individuals, practicing moderation will involve intentional effort - such as setting goals, monitoring progress, and making deliberate choices, as we have already explored. For others, it will feel more natural, and they’ll be able to drink less without needing to as plan closely.
What are units
Alcohol units are a simple way of measuring how much pure alcohol is in a drink. The number of units depends on both the strength (ABV) of the drink and how much you pour.
Using units removes confusion between drink types. Two drinks that look similar in size can contain very different amounts of pure alcohol, which is why units are used as a standard measure.
People often underestimate how much alcohol they are drinking.3 When drinking wine at home, many people pour more than a standard 125ml glass without realising it. Larger pours and higher-strength wines can mean you're drinking more alcohol units than you intended. Accurate measuring helps remove guesswork, especially when:
Drinks are poured freely at home
Glass sizes vary
Strength (ABV) differs between brands
A standard small glass of 12% wine is 125ml which equals 1.5 units. Choosing a 9% ABV wine can reduce the number of alcohol units in your glass.
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Other related content
Here are some other pages to help support moderation.
