Safe and moderate alcohol consumption

hangover at work

Many people do not drink alcohol during the working week, but allow themselves to relax on the weekend by drinking several bottles of beer or stronger drinks a day. It is worth considering that this approach is dangerous and can cause health problems. This is due to the fact that it is difficult for the body to process the large amount of alcohol received within 2 days.

In order to avoid serious problems, you need to know how much alcohol is considered safe to drink per day.

Is there a safe amount of alcohol?

Doctors still haven't reached a consensus on whether there is a dose of alcohol that is harmless to the body. Some believe that 200 ml of wine or 50 ml of vodka (cognac) 2-3 times a week is a perfectly acceptable amount of alcohol that will not affect your health in any way. Others are of the opinion that even this small amount increases the risk of various health problems and leads to alcoholism.

There are special tables and formulas that you can use to calculate approximately how much alcohol you can drink without harming your health. But it should be taken into account that you cannot rely on them 100%, since the values obtained are averaged. The safe dose of alcohol is unique for each person, the parameter depends on gender, age, weight and the presence of chronic diseases.

safe dose of alcohol

A safe amount of alcohol per day

Many studies and experiments have been conducted to determine the daily alcohol intake. Most Westerners and our doctors agreed that a middle-aged and complex man could drink the following daily without harm to his health:

  • wine - up to 200 ml;
  • beer - up to 500 ml;
  • vodka (cognac, whiskey) - up to 50 ml.

The following amounts of alcohol are considered safe for the fair sex:

  • wine - up to 100 ml;
  • beer - up to 330 ml;
  • strong drinks - up to 30 ml.

It is worth considering that women, due to their anatomical features, get involved in drunkenness much faster, so after 1. 5-2 years of daily drinking, they may develop alcohol addiction.

How much can you drink per week without harm?

The WHO (World Health Organization) has calculated how much alcohol can be consumed per week without harming health. The safe dose is given in doses, where the standard dose is 10 ml of ethanol or 8 g of alcohol.

For men

For men, it is acceptable to consume 3 units of alcohol per day or 21 units per week, provided that two completely sober days are observed.

For women

Women are not recommended to drink more than 2 servings of alcohol per day or 14 servings per week. To avoid health problems, ladies should also drink at least every two days.

Is there a safe standard for the driver?

Many drivers are interested in how much alcohol they can drink and in what quantity before getting behind the wheel. According to the established standards, the concentration of pure alcohol in the blood serum cannot exceed 0. 35 ppm. This standard was introduced because alcohol is always present in a person's blood, even if he has not consumed an alcoholic drink before.

alcohol and driving

Alcohol enters the body because it is found in many foods, including kefir, some fruits and baked goods. Each country has its own permissible blood alcohol level for a driver.

Moderate alcohol consumption

In order to avoid health problems and minimize the risk of developing alcohol addiction, you should drink in moderation. It is especially important to know the norm for people who have problems with alcohol, for example, those who lose control of their behavior or become too aggressive after drinking a few glasses of vodka.

Even with moderate alcohol consumption, it is recommended to follow the following rules:

  • Never mix different types of alcohol with each other;
  • after severe stress, it is not recommended to drink more than 70 ml of strong drinks;
  • you should refrain from smoking while drinking alcohol, as nicotine increases intoxication;
  • It is better to snack on drinks with citrus fruits, as the substances present in their composition accelerate the process of breaking down alcohol.

As for restrictions, it is recommended to refrain from taking medications even with moderate alcohol consumption, as alcohol can neutralize or, on the contrary, increase their effect.

How to calculate the hangover-free alcohol limit?

In order to avoid a hangover the next day of the feast, the amount of alcohol consumption should be moderate. If we are talking about certain types of alcoholic beverages, on average, per 1 kilogram of body weight, no more than:

  • vodka - 4 ml;
  • beer - 30 ml;
  • wine - 12 ml;
  • tequila - 3 ml;
  • absinthe - 2 ml.

It is worth considering that the dose of alcohol should be gradually reduced over the years, since in adulthood the body no longer copes with ethanol as efficiently and its elimination slows down. The more ingredients there are in a drink, the harder it is for the body to deal with it. After drinking cognac, whiskey or absinthe, the hangover will be worse than from the same amount of vodka.

In a comment! Drinks and snacks consumed with alcohol have little effect on the severity of a hangover. How you feel the next morning depends only on the quantity and quality of the drink.

How much should we drink without the risk of getting drunk?

Even with moderate alcohol consumption, it cannot be guaranteed that a person will not get drunk. Narcologists claim that the risk of developing alcoholism largely depends on genetic predisposition. The psycho-emotional state also plays an important role.

In any case, it should be remembered that regular consumption of alcoholic beverages (even in moderate quantities) is addictive and can cause alcohol addiction.

hangover after alcohol

In international medicine, there is such a term as "critical dose" - this is the maximum amount of alcohol that a person can drink without falling into the 2nd or 3rd stage of alcoholism. , you need to know approximately what stage you are in. This is very important to prevent disease progression and maintain a stable level.

People who drink alcohol moderately and those who are between the 1st and 2nd stages of alcoholism can drink no more than 100-300 ml of vodka once a week, this amount does not cause serious damage to health and prevents the situation from getting worse.

In a comment! The risk of becoming an alcoholic when abusing alcohol is particularly high among those under 20 years of age.

Formula for determining individual alcohol standards

Health experts have developed a formula that can be used to calculate an individual's alcohol consumption. With this method, you can independently determine how much alcohol you can drink per day without harming your health.

The basis is 1. 5 g of ethyl alcohol per 1 kg of human weight. If a person weighs 70 kg, the individual dose of ethanol is 105 ml. In any case, it should be understood that such values are averaged, since a lot depends on the age, gender and physiological characteristics of the body.

Conclusion

When consumed in moderation, alcohol does not harm health. This is especially true in cases where high-quality drinks made from natural ingredients are consumed.

In order to minimize the risk of unwanted complications, it is recommended to calculate individual alcohol consumption and not exceed it. And of course, we must not forget that it is not recommended to consume alcohol more than 2-3 times a week, even in minimal quantities, as this can lead to the development of alcohol addiction.