What is Moderate Drinking or Alcohol Consumption?

by David J. Hanson, Ph. D. What is sensible or moderate drinking? It depends on whom you ask. The U.S. government defines moderte drinking as consuming no more than two drinks a day for men and one for women. And even that has changed. Until recently, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s definition permitted men to drink up to four drinks on a day and still be considered moderate drinkers. 1 A drink in the U.S. is a 12-ounce can or bottle of beer, a five-ounce glass of wine, or 1.5 ounces of liquor (either straight or in a mixed drink). Each contains the same amount of alcohol -- six-tenths of an ounce and they are all the same to a Breathalyzer. 2 Other countries have different definitions of moderate drinking in terms of daily consumption as seen in this graph. 3 Moderate drinkers tend to have better health and live longer than those who are either abstainers or heavy drinkers do. In addition to having fewer heart attacks and strokes, moderate consumers of ...  more