Excessive Alcohol Use and Your Body
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), excessive alcohol use is responsible for over 140,000 deaths each year. It also caused an estimated 3.6 million years of potential lost life between each year between the years of 2015 to 2019. Individuals who died as a result of excessive alcohol use had their lives shortened by an average of 26 years according to some estimates.
The statistics are staggering and devastating. Drinking can directly affect your mental and physical health. It can shorten your life by decades, particularly if you are a heavy drinker or engage in binge drinking.
How Much Is One Drink?
When people hear about the number of drinks that is considered moderate for someone to have in a week it is often surprising. What is more shocking to them is the amount that is considered to be a single drink.
A standard drink, as noted by the CDC, is considered:
- One 12 oz beer
- 8 ozs of malt liquor
- 5 ozs of wine
- 1.5 ozs of 80-proof liquor
It is important to note that these amounts may vary depending on the amount of alcohol in each serving. 4 or more standard drinks in a single occasion are considered binge drinking for women and 5 or more standard drinks in a single occasion are considered binge drinking for men.
What Is Moderate Drinking?
Moderate drinking is 1 drink or less per day for women and 2 drinks or less per day for men.