A first date with someone from a dating app often involves a drink, and alcohol changes how risk is judged. The UK Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) publish low-risk drinking guidelines that include advice specifically for single occasions. This article applies that advice, along with NHS information on units and police safety tips, to the first meeting with a match. It is general guidance and is not personal medical advice. The CMO guidelines apply across the UK.
What the CMOs advise for a single occasion
Drinkaware’s summary of the UK guidelines says that people who want to keep short-term risks from single-occasion drinking low can:
- limit the total amount of alcohol drunk on any single occasion;
- drink more slowly, drink with food and alternate with water;
- plan ahead to avoid problems, for example by making sure they can get home safely or have people they trust with them.
The same page says the sort of things more likely to happen if overall intake on a single occasion is misjudged include accidents resulting in injury, misjudging risky situations and losing self-control, with unprotected sex given as an example. On a first date with a person still largely unknown, misjudging risk is the main concern.
Knowing what a unit is
The NHS says one unit equals 10ml or 8g of pure alcohol, and that the number of units in a drink depends on its size and strength. It describes a unit as around the amount of alcohol the average adult can process in an hour, though this varies from person to person. It gives a formula: strength (ABV) multiplied by volume in millilitres, divided by 1,000, and says the ABV appears on bottle and can labels or can be asked of bar staff. Its table of typical drinks includes:
- a single small shot of spirits (25ml, 40% ABV): 1 unit;
- a bottle of lager, beer or cider (330ml, 5%): 1.7 units;
- a standard glass of wine (175ml, 12%): 2.1 units;
- a pint of higher-strength lager, beer or cider (5.2%): 3 units;
- a large glass of wine (250ml, 12%): 3 units.
By those figures, three standard glasses of wine come to a little over six units, which matches the threshold Drinkaware gives for a binge in women: more than six units in a single session (eight for men).
The weekly guideline in context
The CMO guideline, repeated by the NHS and Drinkaware, is not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis, spread over three or more days for anyone who drinks that much. Drinkaware notes that one or two heavy drinking episodes a week increase the risk of death from long-term illness and from accidents and injuries.
Practical points for the date
- Set a limit before arriving. Decide the number of drinks in advance, since judgement changes as the evening goes on.
- Order water alongside. The CMO advice to alternate with water and drink slowly helps pace the evening.
- Eat first or during. Drinking with food is part of the guidance.
- Do not leave a drink unattended. Police advice says it is very easy for someone to put an illegal substance in an unattended drink.
- Do not accept a drink from a stranger. The police advice is to go with the person to the bar if accepting a drink.
- Buy and keep hold of your own drinks. The FCDO gives similar advice for travellers in Brazil.
The drink-spiking risk is covered in detail in a separate guide on the Home Office’s advice. The point here is that drinking less and staying in control of the glass both reduce exposure.
Plan the journey before the first drink
The CMO advice specifically lists making sure you can get home safely. Police advice adds that it is best to travel home with friends and not on your own, to book a taxi home before going out and not to flag down a taxi, and not to walk home alone late at night. If a date offers a lift after drinks, the journey plan made beforehand is the reference point.
Telling a friend
The Suzy Lamplugh Trust recommends that anyone meeting a match tells a friend where they are going and who they are meeting, and checks in before, during and after the date. A check-in agreed in advance is more reliable than one arranged late in the evening after several drinks.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a safe amount to drink on a date?
The CMO advice does not give a single safe figure. It says to limit the total amount on any occasion and gives the ways to reduce risk listed above.
Does drinking slowly really matter?
The guidelines list drinking more slowly, eating and alternating with water as ways to reduce short-term risk.
Can I skip alcohol altogether?
Yes. The guidelines are about keeping risk low for those who choose to drink, and nothing in them requires drinking on a date.
The bottom line
The UK CMOs advise limiting total alcohol on a single occasion, drinking slowly, eating and alternating with water, and planning the way home. On a first date, those steps combine with police advice on watching a drink, not accepting drinks from strangers and booking transport in advance. Knowing what a unit is makes a limit easier to keep.