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Notes -
The guidelines always included "Don't drink every day" and the guideline was expressed as a weekly total. So it isn't one glass of wine a day, it is two glasses every day you drink (or three if you are a man and using the pre-feminist version of the guidlines).
"Glasses" should also be in inverted commas, because for typical strength wine 2 units is a 175ml glass - that is now standard for wine by the glass in pubs and restaurants, but it is bigger that a glass you would pour for yourself after buying the bottle. Two "glasses" of wine per wet day is closer to half a bottle, which is what the French always held out as a reasonable day's drinking even before modern booze-scolding.
That, I agree, is silly. OTOH, my parents will spend more effort ensuring that a decent bottle of wine is divided exactly evenly between them on any other marital conflict.
We don't have to go very far back before 1/2 bottle a day (375 mL) would be considered a very modest amount indeed.
In the 1950s in France, there was a campaign to try to limit people to 1 liter of wine per day! That's 1 and 1/3rd full size bottles and nearly 6 times the current British recommendation.
https://vinepair.com/articles/french-anti-alcohol-art/
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