Alcohol & Health

How much alcohol should I drink a day?

A Answers (5)

  • In 2010, the American Heart Association released guidelines stating men can have up to two “drinks” a night and women are limited to one.

    A "drink" is considered 12 ounces of 4% alcohol beer, a four-ounce glass of wine or a 1.5-ounce shot.

    So, what about the people who only drink on the weekends? Unfortunately, we cannot save up the nightly drink allocations and use them on the weekend. 
  • A Dr. Mehmet Oz, MD, Cardiology (Cardiovascular Disease), answered
    Wine and beer
    Wine and beer in moderation can actually be good for your health. In this video, Dr. Oz reveals how much alcohol you should drink a day.
  • Alcohol is in wine, beer, and liquor such as whiskey, vodka, and rum. Alcohol gives you calories but no nutrition. Drinking too much alcohol can cause health problems like liver disease and high blood pressure. It can also lead to weight gain. If you do drink alcohol, don't have more than 1 or 2 drinks a day. This amount can be healthy for most people.
  • AManuel Villacorta, Nutrition & Dietetics, answered on behalf of Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
    The amount of alcohol a person can drink safely depends on the type of alcohol they consume. Generally, a serving size is considered to be: four ounces of wine, ten ounces of a wine cooler, twelve ounces of beer, or one and a half ounces of distilled liquor. If you are not trying to lose weight, the National Institute of Health recommends that women drink no more than one serving size per day and men no more than two (this is recommended only if you are not pregnant, lactating, have alcohol dependencies, diseases, or are taking medications that interact negatively with alcohol).
  • ANeal Spruce, Fitness, answered on behalf of dotFIT
    There is no “should” drink recommendations for alcohol, but health benefits have been associated with moderate alcohol consumption (2 drinks/day for men; 1 for women). The benefits of moderate alcohol consumption include reduced risk of heart attack and stroke; increased HDL (good cholesterol) and reduced blood clotting, which is probably the reason for a reduction on heart attacks and strokes. Additionally, just recently moderate alcohol consumption was connected to a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, gallstones and cognitive decline. The downside is that moderate drinking can lead to excessive drinking that is not just extremely detrimental to YOUR health but also to the health of people around you. So keep it moderate or don’t drink.

    One drink contains 14 grams of alcohol, meaning one 12 oz beer (5% alcohol), one 5 oz glass of wine (12%), and one 1.5 oz of hard liquor (40% or 80 proof) are each one drink. It does appear that alcohol itself, and not the source, is responsible for the benefits.
Did You See?  Close
When do the anti-aging effects of alcohol start?