There is agreement in the scientific community about what defines “moderate drinking.” It’s no more than 3-4 standard drinks per drinking episode and a total of no more than 9 drinks per week for women and 12-14 per week for men. Also, moderate drinking means limiting how fast you drink and, as a result, keeping your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) below .055 (.08 is the DWI limit in all states in the U.S.).
This definition of moderate drinking prevents you from getting drunk. Moderate drinkers don’t drink to get drunk. Now if your idea of moderate drinking is a 6-pack instead of a 12-pack, this would suggest that you drink with some pretty heavy drinkers. Drinking a 6-pack of beer is heavy drinking.
All drinks are not created equal. Different kinds of drinks have different concentrations of alcohol, as measured in percentage alcohol content (% alcohol). Also, these drinks come served in different shapes and sizes (think of all of the different kinds of glasses, cans, and bottles you’ve seen). So to make sure that you’re drinking moderately, to understand how many “drinks” you have each week, you need to know the type of drink, how many, the percent alcohol content, and the amount (the ounces).
You also need to know over how much time you’ve consumed these drinks—3 light beers over 3 hours is a lot different than drinking 3 margaritas in under an hour.
Let’s take beer as an example. Beer can range in the “percentage alcohol content” from under 3% to over 9%. So while the average 12 ounce beer sold in the U.S. is 5% alcohol, you should know the specific alcohol content of the beer that you’re drinking. This is especially true for craft beers that have become popular of late (probably because they taste better but that’s our own opinion). And remember, a pint glass of beer is 16 ounces, so that’s already 1.25 standard drinks of 5% alcohol content beer.
Wine is easier to know the alcohol content because it’s (usually) listed on the bottle. Liquor and mixed drinks are a whole other “kettle of fish.” How much vodka is in that martini? How much rum is in that Long Island Iced Tea? Yes, there are standard recipes for mixed drinks and we’ll provide a searchable database later in the series of moderation posts. For now though, suffice it to say that a standard Long island Iced Tea is almost 4 standard drinks! And if you’re having mixed drinks at a bar, the amount poured can vary widely. What to do? When in doubt, ask your server.
To summarize, a standard drink is equal to:
Some heavy drinkers who’ve experienced problems from their drinking can learn how to moderate their drinking. They can maintain moderate drinking for years at a time. Others can not. So who’s more likely to be successful at moderation? Drinkers with a shorter history of problems and less severe problems tend to be more successful with cutting back and maintaining it. (We’ll cover this in more depth later in the series.) Drinkers who believe that alcoholism is a bad habit rather than a disease tend to do better with moderation.
If you’re thinking about moderate drinking for yourself, there’s a few things to think about.
1.
If you’ve had significant alcohol-related problems and are currently not drinking, moderate drinking may put you at risk again for alcohol-related problems.
2.
If you’re currently drinking more than the guidelines of moderation, you will reduce your risk for problems by cutting back.
The short answer is “no” and we’ll cover this in more depth in a subsequent blog. In the meantime, there are a number of situations in which any drinking is not a good idea. Consider this:
Take a moment to digest all of the information above to make sure that you now have a better sense for what is moderate drinking, and what is not? You will want to continue on with the entire 7 blog series to complete your understanding of moderate drinking and improve your odds of being successful if you decide to moderate your drinking.
Remember, if at any time you want a free, 10-question, clinically-validated assessment of your current drinking and whether or not it is likely problematic, click here or elsewhere throughout this entire website wherever you see the “Free Assessment” banner or button.
Or, if you are ready right now to dive deeper into your drinking and even to change, click here to see and sign up for our proven, self-guided online programs.
Now, click below for Blog 3 of 7—”Rethinking Drinking: Should I Cut Back, or Quit?
