SCOTS drinking at home are pouring themselves more than double the standard pub measure of alcohol, according to a study by Edinburgh researchers.

Despite high-profile campaigns aimed at encouraging Scots to be healthy and drink less, most people still do not know what constitutes a standard measure of alcohol.

And when it comes to playing bartender in their own home they are generous to a fault, pouring measures twice the size of those seen in the pub and helping friends and family drink to excess.

Alcohol was a factor in the deaths of 2052 people in 2004 - more than 70 per cent of them men. This is an increase of almost four per cent from the previous year and equates to more than five Scots losing their lives to alcohol-related conditions every day.

The research into how people drink at home was carried out by researchers Dr Jan Gill and Dr Marie Donaghy from the School of Health Sciences department at the Capital's Queen Margaret University College, who revealed nearly half of Scotland's men and around a quarter of women regularly exceed the daily recommended limits of three or four units for men and between two and three units for women.

Much of this is consumed away from pubs and clubs, all of which serve alcohol in standard UK measures - half a pint of beer, one small glass of wine or one single measure of spirit each being one standard unit of alcohol.

The study involved staff from three major employers in the city, representing three different types of worker - academics, bankers and factory workers - and tried to determine how much alcohol they would pour for themselves or friends at home.

The aim of the study was to look at both the amount people poured and the size of glass they used, with volunteers filling out a questionnaire then pouring a glass of whisky and a glass of wine.

The average glass of wine poured in the home was 1.92 standard UK units, while 43 per cent poured single glasses of wine containing more than two units.

Dr Gill, a lecturer of physiology at Queen Margaret University College's Department of Nursing, said: "We wanted to show that people really aren't aware of what they are drinking or how much, and even people who are quite keen to keep an eye on how much they drink can find themselves pouring a measure that is far stronger than they think.

"It is a big concern, because as well as the long-term problems of people drinking to excess on a regular basis, or binge drinking, there is the worry about people pouring their guests large drinks."

Gillian Bell, of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said: "This research confirms that people pouring their own drinks are much more generous with their measures than standard pub measures.

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