Many people do not drink alcohol during the work week, but on the weekends they allow themselves to relax with a few 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 a large dose of alcohol taken within 2 days.
To avoid serious problems, you should know what dose of alcohol is considered safe per day.
Is there a safe amount of alcohol?
Doctors have not yet 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 completely acceptable amount of alcohol that will not affect your health in any way. Others believe that even such a small amount increases the risk of various health problems and causes alcoholism.
There are special tables and formulas that help you calculate approximately how much alcohol you can drink without harming your health. However, it should be taken into account that the obtained values are taken on average, so it is impossible to trust them 100%. The safe dose of alcohol for each person is individual. The parameter depends on gender, age, weight and the presence of chronic diseases.
A safe amount of alcohol per day
Many studies and experiments have been conducted to determine daily alcohol intake. Most Western and our doctors have agreed that a middle-aged and sophisticated person can drink the following per day without harming 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 should be taken into account that due to their anatomical features, women are attracted to drunkenness more quickly, therefore, after 1. 5-2 years of daily drinking, alcohol addiction may develop.
How much can you drink in a week without harm?
WHO (World Health Organization) has calculated how much alcohol can be consumed per week without harming health. A safe dose is indicated in portions, where a standard portion is 10 ml of ethanol or 8 g of alcohol.
For men
For men, it is acceptable to drink 3 units of alcohol per day or 21 units of alcohol per week, two completely sober days.
For women
Women are not recommended to drink more than 2 servings per day and 14 servings per week. In order not to have health problems, ladies should also drink at least two days apart.
Is there a safe standard for driving?
Many drivers wonder how much alcohol they can drink before getting behind the wheel. According to established standards, the concentration of pure alcohol in blood serum should not exceed 0. 35 ppm. This standard was applied because alcohol is always present in a person's blood, even if no alcoholic beverages have been consumed before.
Alcohol enters the body because it is in many foods, including kefir, some fruits and bakery products. Each country has a permissible amount of alcohol in the driver's blood.
Moderate alcohol consumption
In order to avoid health problems and minimize the risk of developing alcohol addiction, it is necessary to drink in moderation. Knowing your norm is especially important for people with alcohol-related problems, such as those who lose control of their behavior or become overly aggressive after a few glasses of vodka.
Even with moderate alcohol consumption, it is recommended to follow the following rules:
- You should never mix different types of alcohol with each other;
- after severe stress, it is not recommended to drink more than 70 ml of strong drink;
- when drinking alcohol, you should give up smoking, as nicotine increases intoxication;
- It is better to have a snack with drinks containing citrus fruits, because the substances contained in them accelerate the process of breaking down alcohol.
As for restrictions, it is recommended to avoid taking drugs, even with moderate alcohol consumption, because alcohol can neutralize or, on the contrary, strengthen their effect.
How to calculate your hangover alcohol limit?
Alcohol consumption should be moderate to avoid a hangover the day after the party. If we talk about specific types of alcoholic beverages, on average, per 1 kg of body weight, it should not exceed:
- vodka - 4 ml;
- beer - 30 ml;
- wine - 12 ml;
- tequila - 3 ml;
- absinthe - 2 ml.
It should be taken into account that over the years, the dose of alcohol should be gradually reduced, because during adulthood, the body no longer effectively fights ethanol, and the process of its elimination slows down. The more components the drink contains, the more difficult it is for the body to cope with it. After drinking cognac, whiskey or absinthe, the hangover will be worse than the same amount of vodka.
On a note! Drinks and snacks consumed with alcohol have little effect on the severity of a hangover. How you feel in the morning depends only on the quantity and quality of what you drink.
How much can you drink without the risk of getting drunk?
Even with moderate alcohol consumption, there is no guarantee that a person will not get drunk. Narcologists claim that the risk of developing alcoholism depends mainly on genetic predisposition. Psycho-emotional state also plays an important role.
In any case, it should be remembered that regular consumption of alcoholic beverages (even in moderate amounts) is addictive and can lead to alcohol addiction.
In international medicine, there is such a term as "critical dose" - this is the maximum amount of alcohol that a person can drink without the risk of going to the 2nd or 3rd stage of alcoholism. Anyone who suspects that they are addicted to alcohol should know approximately what stage they are in. This is very important to prevent the development of the disease and maintain a stable level.
People who drink moderately and are between the 1st and 2nd stages of alcoholism can drink no more than 100-300 ml of vodka once a week. This amount of alcohol will not cause serious damage to health and will prevent the condition from worsening.
On a note! With alcohol abuse, the risk of becoming an alcoholic is especially high in people under the age of 20.
Formula for determining individual alcohol norms
Health professionals have developed a formula that can be used to calculate an individual's alcohol intake. Using 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 is necessary to understand that such values are average, because a lot depends on the age, gender and physiological characteristics of the body.
The result
Alcohol does not harm health when consumed in moderation. This is especially true in cases where high-quality drinks made from natural ingredients are consumed.
To minimize the risk of unwanted complications, it is recommended to calculate individual alcohol intake and not exceed it. Of course, it should be remembered that it is not recommended to consume alcohol more than 2-3 times a week, even if it is a minimum amount, because it can lead to the development of alcohol addiction.