Author: Alex Thompson

What Is A Standard Drink? National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism NIAAA

However, what is interesting is how much greater amounts of alcohol leads to the risk of developing liver disease. At above 28 drinks a week, the Danish people studied had about a 1/19 chance of developing liver disease roughly 10–12 years later. In the United States, a “standard drink” (also known as an alcoholic drink equivalent) is defined as any beverage containing 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 one U.S. standard drink or one alcoholic drink equivalent.

Drink Size Calculator

As can be seen in the chart above, the researchers divided the men and women into groups based on amounts of drinks per week, then looked at how many men and women went on to develop liver disease / cirrhosis. As we have more modern results from the UK Million Women study which should be used for women, let’s examine the men more closely here instead. Knowing U.S. standard drink (or alcoholic drink equivalent) sizes and the number of drinks per container can help you make informed decisions about your drinking.

For example, those who drank over 3 units a day had nearly twice the risk of a hip fracture. The official recommendation from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans is for women to drink no more than one drink a day. Never drink four or more drinks in the span of a few hours, as this is considered binge drinking. One drink is 12 fluid ounces of beer, 5 fluid ounces of wine, or a mixed drink with 1.5 fluid ounces liquor with 40% alcohol. In the United States, a standard drink has 0.6 ounces (14 grams) of pure alcohol. The amount of pure alcohol in each drink depends on the alcohol content, or percent of alcohol by volume (ABV).

Standard alcohol drink sizes

However, by 14 US standard drinks a week (200g of alcohol), the relative risk for developing liver cirrhosis is about 300% (“3x”) greater. While the chart does not go further, this trend continues upwards with 21 US standard drinks a week (about 300g of alcohol)—this point is confirmed in the chart below on the blue line, as it shows the risks continue to heighten nearly to 28 drinks away before the chart cuts off. One thing that many people don’t understand is that 10% of Americans live like this.

What’s a “Standard Drink”?

If you have any suggestions for this alcohol conversion tool, or have any additional alcohol density figures that you wish to be included, please contact me. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Public Health

Over time, regular drinkers will need more and more alcohol before they feel its effects. And some people just naturally have a higher baseline tolerance than others. For example, wine that says “12% ABV” or “alcohol volume 12%” means 12% of the volume of that drink is pure alcohol. You can find the ABV on the labels of cans and bottles, sometimes written as “vol” or “alcohol volume”, or you can ask bar staff about particular drinks. One unit equals 10ml or 8g of pure alcohol, which is around the amount of alcohol the average adult can process in an hour. The idea of counting alcohol units was first introduced in the UK in 1987 to help people keep track of their drinking.

Using units is a simpler way of representing a drink’s alcohol content – usually expressed by the standard measure alcohol by volume (ABV). “The epidemiology shows that for either men or women, drinking eight or more standard drinks in a week has a linear association with alcohol-related health problems,” Dr. Schneekloth says. “The epidemiology shows that for either men or women, drinking eight or more standard drinks in a week has a linear association with alcohol-related health problems,” Dr. Schneekloth says.

  1. Each product is equipped to meet different health needs such as rehydration, liver support, and acetaldehyde exposure.
  2. Although the standard drink amounts are helpful for following health guidelines, they may not reflect customary serving sizes.
  3. Using units is a simpler way of representing a drink’s alcohol content – usually expressed by the standard measure alcohol by volume (ABV).
  4. 14 units is equivalent to 6 pints of average-strength beer or 10 small glasses of lower-strength wine.
  5. You can work out how many units there are in any drink by multiplying the total volume of a drink (in ml) by its ABV (measured as a percentage) and dividing the result by 1,000.
  6. Cheers is the leading alcohol-related health brand focused on developing products that support your liver and help you feel great the next day.

Receive free access to exclusive content, a personalized homepage based on your interests, and a weekly newsletter with topics of your choice. ‘Alcohol Density List’ figures are from simetric.co.uk – copyright © Roger Walker.Note that converting between units of weight and volume require a density figure. You and your community can take steps to improve everyone’s health and quality of life. In the US, one shot of 80 proof liquor is 1.5 US fl oz (44 ml), which is one US standard drink. Units are a simple way of expressing the quantity of pure alcohol in a drink. Enter in the measurement in milliliters in the left field to automatically calculate the amount in fluid ounces.

The research-backed line of products includes three versions of supplemental pills and powders – Restore, Hydrate and Protect. Cheers is now releasing read-to-drink versions of their products—starting with Cheers Restore. Each product is equipped to meet different health needs such as rehydration, liver support, and acetaldehyde exposure. Cheers places an equal emphasis on the responsibility and health aspects of its mission and vision.