Many people don't drink alcohol during the work week, but allow themselves to relax on weekends 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 a large dose of alcohol received within 2 days.
To avoid serious problems, you need to know what dose of alcohol per day is considered safe.
Is there a safe amount of alcohol?
Doctors have not yet come to a consensus on the existence of 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 leads to alcoholism.
There are special tables and formulas that can help you approximately calculate the amount of alcohol you can drink without harm to your health. But it should be borne in mind that it is impossible to rely on them 100%, since the values obtained are an average. For each person, the safe dose of alcohol is individual, and the parameter depends on gender, age, weight and the presence of chronic diseases.
Safe amount of alcohol per day
Many studies and experiments have been conducted to determine daily alcohol intake. Most Western and our doctors agree that without harm to health, a middle-aged and complex man can drink the following per day:
- wine – up to 200 ml;
- beer – up to 500 ml;
- vodka (cognac, whiskey) – up to 50 ml.
For the fair sex, the following amount of alcohol is considered safe:
- wine – up to 100 ml;
- beer – up to 330 ml;
- strong drinks – up to 30 ml.
It is worth considering that, due to their anatomical features, women are attracted to drunkenness much faster, so alcohol dependence can develop in them after 1. 5-2 years of daily drinking.
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 indicated in servings, where a standard serving is 10 ml of ethanol or 8 g of alcohol.
For men
It is acceptable for men to drink 3 units of alcohol per day or 21 units per week, subject to two days completely sober.
For women
Women are not advised to drink more than 2 servings of alcohol per day or 14 servings per week. To avoid health problems, women should also drink at intervals of at least two days.
Is there a safe standard for a 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 should not exceed 0. 35 ppm, this standard was introduced because alcohol is always present in a person's blood, even if no alcoholic beverages were consumed before.
Alcohol enters the body because it is found in many foods, including kefir, some fruits and baked goods. Each country has its own permitted levels of alcohol in a driver's blood.
Moderate alcohol consumption
To avoid health problems and minimize the risk of developing alcohol dependence, you should drink in moderation. It is especially important to know your norm for people who have problems with alcohol, for example, those who, after a few glasses of vodka, lose control over their behavior or become too aggressive.
Even with moderate alcohol consumption, it is recommended to adhere to the following rules:
- You absolutely must not mix different types of alcohol together;
- after severe stress it is not recommended to drink more than 70 ml of strong drinks;
- while drinking alcohol, you should refrain from smoking, as nicotine increases intoxication;
- It is better to snack on citrus drinks, as the substances present in their composition accelerate the process of breakdown of alcohol.
As for restrictions, even with moderate alcohol consumption it is recommended to refrain from taking medications, since alcohol can neutralize or, conversely, enhance their effect.
How to calculate your alcohol limit without a hangover?
To avoid a hangover the day after the meal, alcohol consumption should be moderate. If we talk about specific types of alcoholic beverages, then on average per 1 kg of body weight there should be no more than:
- vodka – 4ml;
- beer – 30 ml;
- wine – 12 ml;
- tequila – 3 ml;
- absinthe – 2 ml.
It is worth considering that over the years the dose of alcohol should be gradually reduced, since in adulthood the body can no longer cope with ethanol as effectively and the process of its elimination slows down. The more components are present in the drink, the more difficult it is for the body to cope with it. After drinking cognac, whiskey or absinthe, the hangover will be worse than with the same amount of vodka.
A note! 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 what you drink.
How much to drink without risking getting drunk?
Even with moderate alcohol consumption it is not possible to guarantee that a person will not get drunk. Narcologists say that the risk of developing alcoholism largely depends on genetic predisposition. The psycho-emotional state also plays an important role.
In any case it is necessary to remember that regular consumption of alcoholic beverages (even in moderate quantities) is addictive and can cause alcohol dependence.
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 moving into stage 2 or 3 of alcoholism. Every person who suspects he is becoming addicted to alcohol should know approximately what stage he is at. This is very important to prevent disease progression and maintain a stable level.
People who drink alcohol moderately and are between stages 1 and 2 of alcoholism cannot drink more than 100-300 ml of vodka once a week. This amount of alcohol will not cause serious harm to your health and will prevent the situation from getting worse.
A note! With alcohol abuse, the risk of becoming an alcoholic is especially high in people under 20.
Formula for determining individual alcohol norms
Health experts have developed a formula that can be used to calculate an individual's alcohol consumption. Using this method, you can independently determine how much alcohol you can drink per day without harm to 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 \u200b\u200bare an average, since much depends on age, gender and physiological characteristics of the body.
Conclusion
If consumed in moderation, alcohol is not harmful to your health. 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 your individual alcohol intake and not exceed it. And, of course, it should be remembered that even in minimal quantities it is not recommended to consume alcohol more than 2-3 times a week, as this can provoke the development of alcohol dependence.