You may have heard that light drinking can be good for your heart. With heavy or at risk drinking any potential benefit is far outweighed by the greater risks (NIDA). Light or moderate drinking for men is up to 2 standard drinks in a day and for women up to 1 standard drink in a day. Heavy or at risk drinking is defined for men as more than 4 standard drinks on any day or 14 standard drinks in any week; for women more than 3 standard drinks on any day or up to 7 standard drinks in any week.
What is a standard drink?
Many people are surprised to learn what counts as a drink. In the United States, a “standard” drink is any drink that contains about 0.6 fluid ounces or 14 grams of “pure” alcohol. Although the drinks pictured here are different sizes, each contains approximately the same amount of alcohol and counts as a single standard drink.
about 5% alcohol
12 fl oz. of regular beer
about 7% alcohol
8-9 fl oz. of malt liquor (shown in a 12 oz. glass)
about 12% alcohol
5 fl oz. of table wine
about 17% alcohol
3-4 fl oz. of fortified wine (such as sherry or port-3.5 oz. shown)
about 24% alcohol
2-3 fl oz. of cordial, liqueur, or aperitif (2.5 oz. shown)-3 fl oz.
about
40 % alcohol
1.5 fl oz. of brandy or cognac (a single jigger or shot)
about 40% alcohol
1.5 fl oz. shot of 80-proof distilled spirits
The percent of “pure” alcohol, expressed here as alcohol by volume (alc/vol), varies by beverage.
The examples above serve as a starting point for comparison. For different types of beer, wine, or malt liquor, the alcohol content can vary greatly. Some differences are smaller than you might expect, however. Many light beers, for example, have almost as much alcohol as regular beer—about 85% as much, or 4.2% versus 5.0% alcohol by volume (alc/vol), on average.
Although the “standard” drink amounts are helpful for following health guidelines, they may not reflect customary serving sizes. In addition, while the alcohol concentrations listed are “typical,” there is considerable variability in alcohol content within each type of beverage (e.g., beer, wine, distilled spirits).
If you are drinking at an at-risk level and want to learn more about its effects on you, make an appointment with me. We can walk through your drinking pattern and talk about how you might start to rethink your drinking.
