7 out of 10 never count weekly alcohol units

02.06.2026 - If you do not know your alcohol consumption, you do not know whether it is too high, the Danish Cancer Society warns.

According to Mette Lolk Hanak, Director of Prevention at the Danish Cancer Society, many Danes are not aware of how much they drink, or whether they stay on the right side of the Danish Health Authority’s recommendations. Photo: Danish Cancer Society.

Summer means warm summer evenings, festivals and a holiday mood. For many people in Denmark, all of these are seen as occasions to drink alcohol. But it is a good idea to pay attention to the number of alcohol units consumed during the week. Alcohol increases the risk of a wide range of diseases, including cancer. There is no risk-free level of alcohol consumption, but the risk increases with the amount of alcohol consumed.

No more than 10 alcohol units per week and no more than four per day

The Danish Health Authority recommends drinking no more than 10 alcohol units per week and no more than 4 alcohol units on the same day. Staying within these limits gives a relatively low risk of becoming ill because of alcohol.

However, according to a new questionnaire survey by the Danish Cancer Society among 18 to 74-year-olds, 70 percent generally find it difficult to assess whether they stay within the limits. They state that they never count how many alcohol units they drink during the week.

Mette Lolk Hanak, Director of Prevention at the Danish Cancer Society, encourages everyone to keep an eye on their alcohol consumption:

“Many Danes are not aware of how much they drink, or whether they stay on the right side of the Danish Health Authority’s recommendations. That is why it can be a good idea to keep track of how much you drink during the week. Counting can help you decide whether to say yes or no to an extra glass of wine on Saturday evening,” she says.

Low awareness of the recommendations

Although the Danish Health Authority’s alcohol recommendations have been in force since 2022, only a small minority of Danes still know them. In the questionnaire survey, 84 percent of respondents answered incorrectly when asked how many alcohol units, according to the Danish Health Authority, one should drink at most during a week.

We count more when we know when alcohol consumption is too high

Among those who know that one should drink no more than 10 alcohol units per week, 44 percent count weekly alcohol units once in a while or more often. By comparison, this applies to only 28 percent among those who do not know the recommendations.

“It is important that more Danes know the alcohol unit limits. Otherwise, it is harder to know when one is drinking ‘too much’. The limits of no more than 10 weekly alcohol units and no more than four on the same day give Danes a guideline they can rely on when assessing their alcohol intake. No level of consumption is risk-free,” says Mette Lolk Hanak.

About the questionnaire survey

From December 2025 to January 2026, the analysis institute Voxmeter carried out an electronic questionnaire survey for the Danish Cancer Society among 3,064 Danes aged 18 to 74. The data are nationally representative by gender, age and region. Data on Danes’ counting of alcohol units, as well as awareness of the Danish Health Authority’s alcohol recommendations, have been published in a memo, which can be read here:

Memo on the Danish Health Authority’s alcohol recommendations

Other results from the data collection will be published in the report “Alcohol habits in Denmark 2025” in September 2026. The Danish Health Authority has provided financial support for the data collection.