Women over their limits

This is almost six times more than the "safe" limit and the equivalent of eight bottles of wine.

Many are dramatically underestimating their consumption because of bigger glass sizes and stronger wines.

Official guidelines say women should drink no more than 14 units a week but many are drinking double that amount.

The Government is preparing to target middle-class wine drinkers with a £10 million drive against alcohol abuse. The campaign will focus on unit size while highlighting health risks of excessive drinking.

Women are more in danger than male drinkers because their bodies are less able to cope with long-term alcohol abuse.

Research has revealed women in London have no idea how many units are in a typical glass of wine. The startling results showed that many are underestimating the alcohol content by half.

The Standard found increasingly relaxed attitudes to excessive drinking, with many women admitting to drinking too much, but more concerned about the money they had spent than the units they had consumed.

A glass of wine can now contain up to three and a half units. A standard serving used to be 125ml, the equivalent of one unit of alcohol, but this has doubled with pubs and bars selling wine in 250ml glasses.

Wine strength has also risen massively from nine per cent proof to as much as 12 per cent.

The increase in the size of the average glass of wine is directly to blame for young women reporting their drinking levels much lower than they are. Experts warn this contributes to the rise in women's alcohol-related deaths.

Figures released last month showed the number of women dying from diseases such as liver failure has nearly doubled.

The Government's new campaign to educate drinkers about unit size will be launched in the spring.

A Department of Health told the Standard the new guidance will update its Know Your Limits binge drinking campaign which is targeted at 18-24-year olds.

A spokesman said: "Most people have heard of units of alcohol and the sensible drinking message but don't know how to keep a check on the number of units they drink. The traditional assumption that one glass of wine is one unit of alcohol is often wrong."

Professor Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Physicians, said that large wine glasses now contain the equivalent of a third of a bottle.

He said: "Undoubtedly people are underestimating what they are drinking which means we should be working on better awareness on the size and strength of drinks especially wines. People are confused about glass size."