Alcohol Calculator

See your weekly pints or wine bottles fill swimming pools or stack up to the Statue of Liberty. A sobering look at your consumption volume over time.

Example: Alcohol

For example, consuming 1 units / drinks of alcohol per day could be equivalent to approximately 365.00 units / drinks over 1 year. Enable JavaScript to calculate with your own values and explore more comparisons!

Size My Alcohol

Size my:

1 Unit/Standard Drink is 14g Ethanol, e.g. 1 Small Glass of Wine, 1 Small Beer, 1 Shot, or 1 Cocktail (US standard).

My Units / Drinks per day

Compare to / Assess

Your Habit Scale

See how your consumption adds up over time.

Time Period	Equivalent in Units / Drinks
1 Year	730 units
5 Years	3,650 units
25 Years	18,250 units

How It's Calculated

1. Your input: 2 Units / Drinks per day.
2. Each Units / Drinks is equivalent to 1 alcohol units. A standard unit contains 14g of pure ethanol.
3. The calculation is a direct conversion of your input to total units over time.

Why It's Important

That's a lot of clinking glasses! Over a year, your habit adds up to a grand total of 730 units / drinks. This isn't an estimate; it's the raw, unfiltered number of drinks you consume. It transforms a daily or weekly ritual into a stunning annual tally.

The 'wow' factor here is in the sheer scale. Each of those glasses represents a moment, a choice, and a cost—to your health, your wallet, and your time. Visualizing this number helps to move beyond "just one drink" and provides a powerful, tangible metric for self-reflection on your drinking patterns and the cumulative effects of alcohol over the long run.

Do you need help with your habit? See our list of international helplines and resources.

The Science Behind It

Alcohol consumption is deeply embedded in social rituals worldwide, but its effects on the body follow well-mapped biochemical pathways. SizeMyHabit’s Alcohol Volume Calculator translates drinks into pure ethanol grams and blood-alcohol estimates—rooted in decades of pharmacological research.

1. Ethanol Absorption & Distribution

Approximately 20% of ingested ethanol is absorbed in the stomach, with the remaining 80% in the small intestine. Peak blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) typically occurs 30–90 minutes post-consumption, influenced by factors like gastric emptying and food intake.

2. Metabolism via Alcohol Dehydrogenase

In the liver, alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) converts ethanol to acetaldehyde, which is then broken down by aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) to acetate. Genetic polymorphisms in ADH and ALDH enzymes explain population-level variability in alcohol tolerance and hangover severity.

3. Blood-Alcohol Concentration & Impairment

BAC correlates with psychomotor impairment: even a BAC of 0.02% can slow reaction times, while levels above 0.08% significantly increase crash risk. Our calculator employs Widmark’s formula to estimate BAC based on body weight, sex, and drinking duration—guiding users to safer limits.

4. Chronic Effects & Health Risks

Long-term heavy drinking elevates risks for liver cirrhosis, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers. A dose–response meta-analysis found each additional standard drink per day raises all-cause mortality by about 4%. By tracking weekly ethanol totals, users can align with guidelines recommending no more than 14 units per week for men and women.

5. Behavioral Feedback Loops

Immediate feedback on “units consumed” leverages self-regulation theory: awareness of one’s behavior promotes corrective action. Visual dashboards showing cumulative weekly intake tap into loss-aversion—nobody wants to see a bar turn red.