Many people do not drink alcohol during the work week but allow themselves to relax on the weekend by drinking a few bottles of beer or stronger drinks each day. It is worth noting that this method is dangerous and can cause health problems. This is because it is difficult for the body to process large amounts of alcohol consumed within 2 days.
To avoid serious problems, you need to know how much alcohol per day is considered safe.
Is there a safe amount of alcohol?
Doctors have not yet reached a consensus on whether any dose of alcohol is harmless to the body. Some people believe that 200 ml of wine or 50 ml of vodka (cognac) 2-3 times a week is a completely acceptable amount of alcohol and will not affect your health in any way. . Others claim that even such small amounts increase the risk of various health problems and lead to alcoholism.
There are special tables and formulas that can help you calculate how much alcohol you can drink without harming your health. But it must be noted that they cannot be relied on 100% because the values obtained are averaged. For each person, the safe dose of alcohol is individual, this 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 the amount of alcohol consumed daily. Most Western doctors and we agree that without harm to health, a middle-aged and complex man can drink the following every day:
- wine - up to 200 ml;
- beer - up to 500 ml;
- vodka (cognac, whiskey) - up to 50 ml.
For the fair sex, the following amounts of alcohol are considered safe:
- wine - up to 100 ml;
- beer – up to 330 ml;
- Strong drinks - up to 30 ml.
It is worth noting that, due to their anatomical features, women get drunk much faster, therefore, alcoholism can develop in them after 1. 5-2 years of daily drinking.
How much can you drink per week without harm?
WHO (World Health Organization) has calculated the amount of alcohol that can be consumed per week without harming health. The safe dose is prescribed in portions, where the 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 per week, for two days completely sober.
For women
Women should not drink more than 2 servings of alcohol per day or 14 servings in a week. To avoid health problems, women should also drink at least two days apart.
Are there any safety standards for drivers?
Many drivers are concerned about how much alcohol they can drink and how much before getting behind the wheel. According to established standards, the concentration of pure alcohol in serum should not exceed 0. 35 ppm. This standard was established due to the fact that alcohol is always present in human blood, even if one has never consumed a drink containing alcohol. previous alcohol.
Alcohol enters the body because it is found in many foods, including kefir, some fruits, and baked goods. Every country has a permissible level of alcohol in a driver's blood.
Drink alcohol in moderation
To avoid health problems and minimize the risk of developing alcoholism, you need to drink alcohol in moderation. It's especially important to know your standards for people who have problems with alcohol, such as those who, after a few glasses of vodka, lose control of their behavior or become too aggressive.
Even when drinking alcohol in moderation, the following rules should be followed:
- You should never mix different types of wine together;
- After severe stress, it is not recommended to drink more than 70 ml of strong drinks;
- While drinking alcohol, you should limit smoking, because nicotine increases the feeling of intoxication;
- It is better to snack on drinks with citrus fruits, since the substances contained in them will accelerate the breakdown of alcohol.
Regarding the limitations, even when drinking alcohol in moderation, you should still limit the use of medications, because alcohol can neutralize or, conversely, enhance their effects.
How to calculate your hangover-free alcohol limit?
To avoid a hangover the next day after a party, the amount of alcohol should be consumed in moderation, if we talk about specific types of alcoholic beverages, then on average per 1 kg of body weight should not be more than:
- vodka – 4ml;
- beer – 30 ml;
- wine – 12 ml;
- tequila – 3 ml;
- Absinthe - 2 ml.
It is worth noting that over the years, the dose of alcohol should be gradually reduced, because in adulthood the body no longer copes with ethanol effectively and its elimination slows down. The more ingredients 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.
On a note! Drinks and snacks consumed with alcohol have little effect on the severity of the hangover. How you feel the next morning depends solely on the quantity and quality of the drinks you drink.
How much to drink without getting drunk?
Even with moderate drinking, there can be no guarantee that a person will not get drunk. Narcologists believe that the risk of developing alcoholism largely depends on genetic predisposition. The psychological and 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 alcoholism.
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 to stage 2 or 3 of alcoholism. Every person who suspects that he or she is becoming dependent on alcohol should know what stage he or she is in. This is important to stop the progression of the disease and maintain stable levels.
People who drink alcohol moderately and are at stages 1 to 2 of alcoholism should only drink no more than 100-300 ml of vodka once a week. This amount of alcohol will not cause serious harm to health and will help prevent the condition from worsening. get worse.
On a note! With alcohol abuse, the risk of becoming an alcoholic is especially high in people under 20 years old.
Formula for determining individual alcohol concentration
Medical experts have developed a formula that can be used to calculate the amount of alcohol consumed by an individual. 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 ethanol dosage for each person is 105 ml. In any case, it must be understood that such values are calculated on average, since much depends on age, gender and physiological characteristics of the body.
Conclusion
When consumed in moderation, alcohol is not harmful to health. This is especially true in the case of consuming high-quality drinks made from natural ingredients.
To minimize the risk of unwanted complications, you should calculate your personal alcohol consumption and not exceed it. And of course, it should be remembered that even in minimal quantities it is not recommended to drink alcohol more than 2-3 times a week, as this can cause alcoholism.