Many people underestimate the amount of alcohol that is in a standard drink. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIH) has released guidelines to what is in one standard drink. According to their guidelines one standard drink is equivalent to:
- 12 fl oz of regular beer (usually around 5% alcohol)
- 8-9 fl oz of malt liquor (usually around 7% alcohol)
- 5 fl oz of table wine (usually around 12% alcohol)
- 5 fl oz shot of distilled spirits (about 40% alcohol)
According to authorities, binge drinking occurs when women consume 4 drinks in about 2 hours and when men consume 5 drinks in the same period. Heavy drinking is defined as “binge drinking 5 or more days in the past month.”
The majority of Americans drink alcohol and have done so within the last month according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. This same survey estimated that over 15 million adults have Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). Less than 10% of those with AUD have received any kind of treatment.
Heavy drinking can have devastating consequences for your mental and physical health. It is important that if you or a loved one has a dependency on alcohol you seek treatment immediately.