Question 1

Is this tool free to use?

Accepted Answer

Yes, completely. No subscription, no trial, no card details. Fill it in, see your results, keep a copy.

Question 2

Are my figures stored or shared?

Accepted Answer

Your calculation figures are never stored or shared. Everything runs in your browser and the numbers stay on your device. If you choose to join the ARC newsletter, only your email address is sent securely to our mailing system. Your figures are not included.

Question 3

Do I have to be planning to quit drinking to use this?

Accepted Answer

Not at all. This tool is built specifically for people who want to drink less, not stop altogether. You set your own target. There is no abstinence assumption anywhere in it.

Question 4

How is this different from a standard units calculator?

Accepted Answer

Most units calculators tell you how many units you drink and leave you to draw your own conclusions. This tool goes further. It separates home and on-trade consumption, accounts for the orbit costs that build around drinking (taxis, takeaways, recovery mornings) and lets you model a target that reflects how you actually want to drink, including trading up to better quality at lower volume.

Question 5

What are orbit costs?

Accepted Answer

Orbit costs are the spending that clusters around drinking occasions but does not show up on a bar tab. Taxis home because you cannot drive, late-night food orders, next-day recovery spending, gym memberships you pay for but miss. They are often as significant as the drink spend itself.

Question 6

Who is this tool for?

Accepted Answer

It is built for grey area drinkers: people who drink regularly, function well, but drink more than they probably should and know it. Not dependent, not in crisis, but aware that alcohol is costing them more than they want it to in money, energy and headspace. If that sounds familiar, this tool is for you.

Question 7

Does the tool account for drinking less but spending more per bottle?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and this is one of the things that makes it different. Most calculators assume that if you drink less, you spend proportionally less. But plenty of people who cut back also trade up: fewer bottles of something better rather than more bottles of something cheaper. The target step lets you set a different price per bottle or drink at your target, so the saving calculation reflects that reality rather than overstating it.

Question 8

How accurate are the figures?

Accepted Answer

The figures are estimates based on what you tell us. The more accurately you fill in your current pattern, including the split between drinking at home and out, the more useful the result. We use standard ABV and volume data to calculate units, and actual spend figures you provide for the financial picture. The tool is designed to give you a credible ballpark, not an audit.

What is your drinking actually costing you?

Your drink profile

The orbit costs

Set your own target

Ready to turn these numbers into a plan?