Author: Alex Thompson

What Is Moderate Drinking?

Keep this list in your wallet, on your fridge, or in an app on your phone. Planning ahead can help you manage situations when you might be tempted to drink too much. Think ahead about how to say “no” if someone offers you a drink.

Low to moderate drinkers may have a lower risk of coronary heart disease if already heart-healthy, a lower risk of stroke, and improved diabetes outcomes. There are books on alcoholism with general guidelines that can help people looking for ways on how to moderate drinking. However, these guidelines are not a reliable guarantee of safety for everyone at every time. The rule of thumb provides that women should take one alcoholic beverage per day while for men the limit is two.

There are several ways on how to help an alcoholic that doesn’t want help.All these can be explored in a typical alcohol abuse treatment center. There are professionals ready to help in cutting back alcohol intake or quitting for good through therapy and safe drinking tips. Like a “standard drink,” “moderate drinking” can have several definitions. In common parlance, a moderate drinker is someone who does not drink to the point of drunkenness unless on special occasions. It is a nebulous concept that people often use to distinguish between a heavy drinker—someone who may frequently drink to the point of drunkenness—and the occasional drinker or non-drinker. These are not scientific terms by any means; they are merely the phrases that have come to be adopted by individuals in their day-to-day use of language, and their definitions are highly subjective.

Use these tips to talk with someone about cutting back or quitting drinking. Take our short alcohol quiz to learn where you fall on the drinking spectrum and if you might benefit from quitting or cutting back on alcohol. Try our alcohol-removed sparkling white wine if you’re looking to celebrate without the hangover, or our non-alcoholic rosé if the occasion calls for something pink. If you look at the science behind how BAC is measured, a BAC of 0.10% would mean 0.10g of ethanol for every 100 milliliters (ml) of blood. Understanding state-by-state regulations around BAC is essential, both for legal reasons and to know when you’ve had too much to drink.

In general, a healthy diet and physical activity have much greater health benefits than alcohol and have been more extensively studied. Department of Health and Human Services, moderate drinking is up to 7 drinks per week for women, and up to 14 drinks per week for men. Per day, it’s up to one drink for women and up to two drinks for men.2 This means that if you have seven beers on Saturday and don’t drink the rest of the week, it doesn’t count as moderate.

What does it mean to be above the legal limit for drinking?

Drinking less is better for health than drinking more. However, there is a vast middle ground between having one drink every now and then and alcoholism, and the truth about the potential risks to one’s health when it comes to moderate drinking are blurry. On the one hand, moderate drinking is not a universal concept.

Hormones may also impact the rate at which alcohol is metabolized. Due to these differences, what constitutes moderate drinking for a woman is often thought to be less than what constitutes moderate drinking for a man. These distinctions are codified in the US guidelines, the Canadian guidelines, and the Irish guidelines. As noted above, these distinctions are absent from the UK guidelines.

While moderate drinking is undoubtedly a better idea than binge drinking, no amount of alcohol is completely risk-free when it comes to your health. While the benefits above are certainly commendable, the risks often outweigh the advantages. For instance, drinking rubbing alcohol even in moderation can be life-threatening.

About Alcohol

If you’re looking to cut back on the alcohol, are sober curious, or just want to see your options out there in the world of moderate drinking, we have answers. There are lots of reasons out there why alcohol should be avoided under all circumstances. Well, while this may have its own set of arguments, there are also proven benefits of moderate drinking worth considering. Servings must not be averaged, but rather taken on a per episode basis. For instance, having seven drinks in one sitting and compensating for by not taking a drink for the rest of the week cannot be said to be moderate drinking.Safe drinking can also be influenced by other factors other than the type of drink. For example, any amount of drinking increases the risk of breast cancer and colorectal cancer.

1. These calories add up — and getting more calories than you need can make it harder to stay at a healthy weight.
2. Luckily, most craft brewers now indicate the alcohol by volume (ABV) contained in their beer on either the can or the bottle to avoid confusion.
3. Technically, the only truly safe level of drinking is not drinking at all.

Moderate drinking is defined as 2 drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women, per the CDC’s guidelines. If you don’t drink alcohol, there’s no reason to start. If you choose to drink, having only a moderate (limited) amount can lower your risk for health problems caused by drinking. Some people shouldn’t drink at all, like people younger than 21 years, people who are pregnant or might be pregnant, and people with certain health conditions. The risks of moderate drinking include worsened health outcomes, developing a dependency on alcohol, and a higher risk of injury.

Do Moderation Management programs work? Benefits & Risks

Particularly when the weather is nice, millions of people around the country choose to spend the day or evening outside, enjoying the company of friends and family while lighting up the grill and having a few drinks. Decide how many days a week you’ll drink and how much you’ll drink on those days. It’s also a good idea to have some days when you don’t drink at all.

Possible Benefits of Moderate Drinking

However, it may take some time before you feel like yourself again. The internet is full of misinformation about the risks of alcohol intake. And the truth is, everyone may be affected by alcohol differently. But here’s what the experts have to say about drinking in moderation — the good, the bad, and the ugly — and your health. For men, heavy drinking is typically defined as consuming 15 drinks or more per week.

People who choose not to drink make that choice for the same reasons. Knowing your personal risk based on your habits can help you make the best decision for you. It turns out that moderation is possible for many people—even some with chronic, heavy drinking problems. Medication can help people overcome their alcohol cravings and establish new habits. There may be options that can help you cut back, without requiring you to quit alcohol completely. The opposite of moderate drinking is either heavy drinking or binge drinking.

Too much alcohol consumption can lead to a variety of health problems, and the risks to your health and safety increase along with the amount you drink. The bottom line is that alcohol is potentially addictive, can cause intoxication, and contributes to health problems and preventable deaths. If you already drink at low levels and continue to drink, risks for these issues appear to be low. The legal limit for drinking is the alcohol level above which a person is subject to legal penalties (e.g., arrest or loss of a driver’s license). For many Americans, summer is the most relaxing time of the year.