Many of us reach for a wine to wind down after the working week. And while we may think a little bit of booze is OK, the real question is – how much alcohol is too much? Given that alcohol is a drug, it's an important question to ask.
Guidelines: National Health and Medical Research Council
In 2009, Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council released its guidelines on how to reduce health risks that arise from alcohol.
They begin by saying that no amount of alcohol can be deemed "safe" or "unsafe". They point to the numerous adverse health effects of drinking such as disease, illness, injury and accidents.
So the guidelines are simply a way to help people take responsibility for their drinking and health.
What is a Standard Drink?
A little while ago, I was invited to take part in a current affairs program, to see how much liquor is too much for women. I was wined and dined and asked to get behind the wheel of a car to test hazard reaction times. Despite drinking the same as my fellow interviewee, I blew 0.08, while she blew 0.02. I also took longer to spot hazards than she did. What this showed is that drinking affects us all differently. And your limit will be different to my limit.
That being said, the guidelines stipulate a standard drink as one that has around 10 grams of alcohol. This could be a 285ml beer, 100ml glass of wine or 30ml shot of vodka or another spirit. Men and women are advised to have no more than two standard drinks a day.
A Safe Approach to Alcohol
The guidelines include the following:
- Reducing the risk of alcohol-related harm over a lifetime: The longer we drink, the higher our risk of developing disease or alcohol-related illness and injury. By sticking to the two-drinks-a-dy rule, the risk of death caused by alcohol is less than one in 100. This increases for every drink above the level.
- Reducing the risk of injury: No doubt we've all become a little clumsy while drinking. That's because alcohol can make us less risk-averse and more susceptible to danger. If you drink four or more standard drinks in one sitting, your risk of injury doubles in the six hours following your drinking.
Other guidelines include not drinking while pregnant or breastfeeding; not drinking when around water, operating machinery or playing sport; and not mixing medication with alcohol.
Of course, when it comes to drinking alcohol, it's up to us to know our own limits. The lesson is clear: stick to the guidelines, try to reduce your daily drinking intake and appreciate that alcohol is a drug that can have severe side effects if abused.
Originally published on Sep 02, 2013
