There is no evidence that moderate alcohol consumption by people with HIV is harmful unless they have other medical conditions, such as hepatitis. Many people find that moderate drinking (one or two units a day) helps relieve stress and anxiety and acts as an appetite stimulant. A unit of alcohol is around:

• a third of a pint of beer or lager (at 5 to 6% alcohol)
• half a standard glass of wine (a standard glass is 175ml)
• a single pub measure of spirits (25ml)
• a small glass of sherry or port (50ml).

There is also some evidence that drinking a unit or two of alcohol daily can help protect against heart disease, stroke and diabetes. It is recommended that men drink no more than three or four units of alcohol a day and women a maximum of two or three units a day.

Drinking too much can make it harder for you to take your drugs in the right way, at the right time (this is often called ‘adherence’).

The increases in blood fats (such as cholesterol and triglycerides) that can be caused by some anti-HIV drugs can be made worse by heavy drinking.

Heavy drinking is linked to hepatitis (inflammation of the liver) and liver damage. It is particularly important that people with HIV take care of their liver, not least because the liver plays an important part in how the body processes anti-HIV drugs. People who are co-infected with either hepatitis B or C should be aware that drinking even a small amount of alcohol is not advisable.

Drinking too much alcohol can sometimes lead to vomiting. If you vomit within an hour of taking your HIV treatment, you should retake the dose.

Binge drinking can also be harmful to general health, so don’t drink all your weekly units in one day. Also remember that alcohol can contain a lot of calories, so you need to take how much you drink into account if you are trying to lose weight.

The NHS Choices website has a lot of information about alcohol, and a tool to help you keep track of how many units you’re drinking. You can find this at www.nhs.uk/livewell/alcohol.