Many people do not drink alcohol during the work week, but allow themselves to relax on the weekend by drinking several bottles of beer or stronger drinks a day. It should be considered 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 the daily dose of alcohol that is considered safe.
Is there a safe amount of alcohol?
Doctors have not yet reached a consensus on whether there is a dose of alcohol that is not harmful 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 argue that even a small amount increases the risk of various health problems and leads to alcoholism.
There are special tables and formulas that can help you calculate the approximate amount of alcohol you can drink without harming your health. But it is necessary to take into account that it is impossible to rely on them 100%, because the values obtained are average. For each person, the safe dose of alcohol is individual. Parameters depend 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 the daily intake of alcohol. Most Western doctors and we agree that without harming 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;
- liquor - up to 30 ml.
It should be considered that, due to their anatomical features, women are drawn into drunkenness 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?
WHO (World Health Organization) has calculated how much alcohol per week can be taken without harming health. Safe doses are 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 per week, subject to two completely sober days.
For the ladies
Women are not recommended to drink more than 2 servings of alcohol per day or 14 servings in a week. To avoid health problems, women also need to drink at least two days apart.
Are there safe standards for drivers?
Many drivers are interested in how much alcohol they can drink and in what quantity before driving. According to the established standards, the concentration of pure alcohol in the blood serum should not exceed 0. 35 ppm. This standard was introduced due to the fact that alcohol is always present in a person's blood, even if alcoholic beverages have not been 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 level of alcohol that is allowed in the driver's blood.
Moderate alcohol consumption
To avoid health problems and minimize the risk of alcohol addiction, you need to drink in moderation. It is very important to know your norms 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 cannot mix different types of alcohol with each other;
- after severe stress, it is not recommended to drink more than 70 ml of alcohol;
- while drinking alcohol, you should refrain from smoking, because nicotine increases intoxication;
- It is better to snack on drinks with citrus fruits, because the ingredients in their composition accelerate the process of breaking down alcohol.
As for restrictions, even with moderate alcohol consumption it is recommended to refrain from taking the drug, because alcohol can neutralize or, on the contrary, increase its effect.
How to calculate your drunk-free alcohol limit?
To avoid a hangover the next day after a party, alcohol consumption should be moderate. If we talk about certain types of alcoholic beverages, then on average per 1 kg of body weight should not be more than:
- vodka - 4 ml;
- beer - 30 ml;
- wine - 12 ml;
- tequila - 3 ml;
- absinthe - 2 ml.
It should be considered that over the years, the dose of alcohol should be reduced gradually, because in adulthood the body no longer copes with ethanol effectively, and the process of its removal slows down. The more components there are in the drink, the harder 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 the note! Drinks and snacks consumed with alcohol have little effect on the severity of the hangover. How you feel the next morning depends only on the quantity and quality of what you drink.
How much to drink without risking intoxication?
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. Psycho-emotional conditions also play an important role.
In any case, it should be remembered that regular consumption of alcoholic beverages (even in moderate quantities) is addictive and can lead to 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 to stage 2 or 3 alcoholism. Everyone who suspects that he has become dependent on alcohol should know approximately what stage he is at. This is very important to prevent the development of the disease and maintain a stable level.
People who drink alcohol moderately and are between levels 1 and 2 of alcohol can 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 prevent the situation from getting worse.
On the note! With alcohol abuse, the risk of becoming an alcoholic is particularly high in people under the age of 20.
Formula to determine individual alcohol norm
Health experts 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 the value is an average, because a lot depends on age, gender and physiological characteristics of the body.
Conclusion
When taken in moderation, alcohol is not harmful to health. This is especially true in cases where high-quality drinks made from natural ingredients are used.
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 trigger the development of alcohol dependence.