Moderate drinking and how to keep it that way

Drinking in moderation means you’ll likely need to turn down a drink now and again. Planning exactly how you’ll say no—in a quick, polite, and convincing way—can make it easier for you to stick with your convictions and avoid a spiral of uncomfortable excuses. John C. Umhau, MD, MPH, CPE is board-certified in addiction medicine and preventative medicine.

• Depending on the drink and your taste preference, you can also add fresh fruit juice.
• But good evidence shows that drinking high amounts of alcohol are clearly linked to health problems.
• Per day, it’s up to one drink for women and up to two drinks for men.

What Does Moderate Drinking Mean?

The medication naltrexone (commonly sold under the brand names Revia, Depade, and Vivitrol) has been found to help people learn how to drink in moderation by blocking the pleasurable effects of alcohol. This reduces cravings for alcohol when used consistently (i.e., each and every time the person drinks). An Italian review of studies published in the European Journal of how to drink moderately Epidemiology found that moderate wine and beer consumption reduced the risk of cardiovascular events, but spirits did not. Excessive alcohol use is a term used to describe four ways that people drink alcohol that can negatively impact health. The NIAAA classifies binge drinking as a pattern of drinking that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to .08 g/dL.

What the Dietary Guidelines say about moderate alcohol use

• The bottom line is that alcohol is potentially addictive, can cause intoxication, and contributes to health problems and preventable deaths.
• Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance plans must cover alcohol misuse screening and counseling.
• Her work has appeared in Better Homes & Gardens, Southern Living, Real Simple, Livestrong.com, TheKitchn and more.
• The opposite of moderate drinking is either heavy drinking or binge drinking.

Department of Health and Human Services, moderate drinking is up to 7 drinks per week for women, and up to 14 drinks per week for men. Per day, it’s up to one drink for women and up to two drinks for men. This means that if you have seven beers on Saturday and don’t drink the rest of the week, it doesn’t count as moderate. Many studies over the past 20 years have suggested that people who have a drink a day or less may have a lower risk of cancer, heart disease, or all-cause mortality than those who abstain from drinking. Yet a growing body of newer research shows that those claims may be a mirage.

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Alcohol blocks the absorption of folate and inactivates folate in the blood and tissues. It’s possible that this interaction may be how alcohol consumption increases the risk of breast, colon, and other cancers. The definition of moderate drinking is something of a balancing act. Moderate drinking sits at the point at which the health benefits of alcohol clearly outweigh the risks.

Tips

Throughout the 10,000 or so years that humans have been drinking fermented beverages, they’ve also been arguing about their merits and demerits. The debate still simmers today, with a lively back-and-forth over whether alcohol is good for you or bad for you. If drinking less or less often than you typically do is something you’re committed to, pull out a pen and paper and write down some concrete goals for yourself. This provides you with the opportunity to create a plan that feels good to you and increases your accountability to those goals. If you’re looking to enjoy more than one drink in a sitting, diluting your drinks is a great way to stretch a smaller amount of alcohol.