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Standard Drink & Alcohol Intake Guideline

Alcohol is the intoxicating ingredient in beer, wine and spirits; it is produced by fermenting fruit, yeast or other starches. Since different types of alcoholic beverages have different percentages of alcohol by volume, the amount of alcohol that is considered a "drink" is standardized. Different countries have differently-sized "standard drinks."

  1. Standard Drinks in the United States

    • In the United States, a standard drink is approximately 17.7 mL or 0.6 ounces of pure ethyl alcohol. To put that in perspective of beverages that people actually consume, the average Manhattan contains about 1.15 ounces of pure alcohol, while the average martini contains about 1 ounce. The average highball or other simple mixed drink contains about one standard drink, as does the average 5 ounce glass of table wine or 12 ounce bottle of beer.

    Intake Guidelines for Men and Non-Pregnant Women

    • According to the United States Department of Agriculture's and the United States Department of Health and Human Safety's "Dietary Guidelines for Americans," men and non-pregnant women should keep their drinking in moderation in order to avoid health problems and the possibility of alcohol dependency. For reasonably healthy adults, this means one drink per day for women and two for men. Neither men nor women should exceed three alcoholic beverages per day.

    People Who Should Never Drink Alcohol

    • Also according to the "Dietary Guidelines for Americans," there are several groups of people who should never drink any alcohol at all. These include children, adolescents, women who are or are planning to become pregnant, people who are planning to drive or operate heavy machinery, people taking any medications that may have an adverse reaction with alcohol and people recovering from alcoholism and certain other medical conditions. Additionally, it is illegal for persons under the age of 21 to drink or possess alcohol in the United States.

    Responsible Drinking

    • Irresponsible drinking, in general, can be split into two basic categories. Alcohol abuse is an umbrella term that encapsulates drinking and driving, legal or personal problems related to alcohol consumption, blowing off work or other responsibilities due to alcohol consumption and binge drinking, which is defined as a pattern of alcohol consumption that regularly brings an individual's blood alcohol concentration to 0.08% or more. Alcoholism is a physical and mental dependence on alcohol that may be a consequence of repeated alcohol abuse.

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