Understanding Alcohol Drinking Patterns National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism NIAAA

Compared with drinking excessively, moderate drinking reduces your risk of negative health effects. For example, a growing body of evidence indicates that alcohol consumption carries risks of certain harms at lower levels of drinking. Alcohol misuse—which includes binge drinking and heavy alcohol use—over time increases the risk of alcohol use disorder (AUD). For example, alcohol misuse, which includes binge drinking and heavy alcohol use, over time increases the risk of alcohol use disorder (AUD). Heavy drinking can also lead to a host of health concerns, like brain damage, heart disease, cirrhosis of the liver and even certain kinds of cancer. Moderate drinking may also reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease — both of which can speed up the effects of Alzheimer’s.

• Drinking beyond thirst might be beneficial for people who need to perform tasks that require intense concentration, and those with kidney disease, kidney stones, urinary tract infections, and people with a weak sense of thirst (which may include more older people).
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• Alcohol misuse—which includes binge drinking and heavy alcohol use—over time increases the risk of alcohol use disorder (AUD).
• Methods used in the management of dehydration include assisted drinking or oral rehydration therapy.

How Much Alcohol is Too Much?

• Research-based information on drinking and its impact.
• For women, it means having three drinks within that same time frame.
• Even for people who aren’t particularly heavy drinkers.
• Alcohol (in any amount) is a well-known cause of cancer

An official website of the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism These consequences range from accidental injuries to worsened mental and physical health conditions to death. Additional factors also increase the risk of AUD. Lasting changes in the brain caused by alcohol misuse perpetuate AUD and make individuals vulnerable to relapse.

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In the United States, one “standard” drink has about 14 grams of pure alcohol. You can’t tell how much alcohol is in your drink by the amount of liquid in your glass or bottle. A high rate of consumption can also lead to cirrhosis, gastritis, gout, pancreatitis, hypertension, various forms of cancer, and numerous other illnesses. Evidence of fermented drinks in human culture goes back as early as the Neolithic Period, and the first pictorial evidence can be found in Egypt around 4,000 BC. Most cultures throughout history have incorporated some number of the wide variety of “strong drinks” into their meals, celebrations, ceremonies, toasts and other occasions.

Moderate drinking

Moderate drinkers are far more likely to exercise than people who don’t drink. During pregnancy, alcohol use increases the risk of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, which refers to the collective lifelong physical, behavioral, and cognitive impairments that occur due to prenatal alcohol exposure. The risk of harm typically increases as the amount of alcohol consumed increases. It encompasses the conditions that some people refer to as alcohol abuse, alcohol dependence, alcohol addiction, and the colloquial term, alcoholism.

It is well established that alcohol misuse—including binge drinking and heavy alcohol use—increases the risk of many short- and long-term consequences. SAMHSA defines heavy alcohol use as binge drinking on five or more days in the past month.2 Steatotic liver disease develops in about 90% of people who drink more than 1.5 to 2 ounces of alcohol per day. “But when you consider how alcohol is metabolized and used by your body, we can start to see that even moderate and social drinking affects our health to some degree.”

Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health. Be sure to ask your healthcare professional about what’s right for your health and safety. When taking care of children, avoid alcohol. The term “moderate” also may be used differently.

Drinking less is better for your health than drinking more.

Drinking alcohol is a health risk regardless of the amount. Excessive alcohol use can harm people who drink and those around them. More information about alcohol and cancer risk is available in the Surgeon General’s advisory. About 178,000 people die from excessive alcohol use each year in the United States.1

What the Dietary Guidelines say about moderate alcohol use

That’s because you may be more likely to make decisions or take risks that could negatively affect others. Drinking excessively can harm your loved ones and others around you. But men who drink too much can lose the desire and the ability to have sex.

What is considered a “drink”?

Drinking beyond thirst might be beneficial for people who need to perform tasks that require intense concentration, and those with kidney disease, kidney stones, urinary tract infections, and people with a weak sense of thirst (which may include more older people). Research shows drinking when thirsty will maintain hydration to within about 2% of the needed level. A daily intake of water is required for the normal physiological functioning of the human body. A persistent desire to drink inordinate quantities of water is a psychological condition termed polydipsia.

‘Blackout rage gallons’ can lead to dangerous levels of alcohol consumption If you need more guidance to quit drinking, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) offers a hotline, 24/7, 365 days a year. Even drinking a little too much (binge drinking) on occasion can set off a chain reaction that affects your well-being. “Excessive alcohol consumption can cause nerve damage and irreversible forms of dementia,” Dr. Sengupta warns. “We see lower levels of a specific kind of white blood cells called lymphocytes in people who drink heavily for long periods of time,” Dr. Sengupta reports.

Dr. Sengupta shares some of the not-so-obvious effects that alcohol has on your body. We talked with hepatologist Shreya Sengupta, MD, about how alcohol use affects your body and your emotional health. But even moderate alcohol use changes the way your body functions.

Harmful effects of long-term alcohol use

For example, some kinds of beer, like microbrews, have more than 5% alcohol. Different types or brands of beer, wine, and spirits can contain varying amounts of alcohol. It has also been linked to an increased Drinking and Bruising risk of stroke. It’s important to remember that alcohol is a drug. But when is a drink just a harmless drink? A beer or glass of wine after a hard day’s work.

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But there’s plenty of research to back up the notion that alcohol does lead to weight gain in general. Eventually, you can develop permanent and irreversible scarring in your liver, which is called cirrhosis. If alcohol continues to accumulate in your system, it can destroy cells and, eventually, damage your organs.

In addition, specialized nectar feeders like sunbirds (Nectariniidae) and hummingbirds (Trochilidae) drinkby using protrusible grooved or trough-like tongues, and parrots (Psittacidae) lap up water. In savannas, the drinking method of giraffes has been a source of speculation for its apparent defiance of gravity; the most recent theory contemplates the animal’s long neck functions like a plunger pump. Many desert animals do not drink even if water becomes available, but rely on eating succulent plants. When conditions impel them to drink from bodies of water, the methods and motions differ greatly among species. Drinking can also be by sipping or sucking, typically when imbibing hot liquids or drinking from a spoon. Most animals drink water to maintain bodily hydration, although many can survive on the water gained from their food.

Saltwater fishes do drink plenty of water and excrete a small volume of concentrated urine. Saltwater fish, however, drink through the mouth as they swim, and purge the excess salt through the gills. Some desert insects, such as Onymacris unguicularis, have evolved to drink substantially from nighttime fog. Most birds scoop or draw water into the buccal areas of their bills, raising and tilting their heads back to drink.

Alcohol abuse and the addiction of alcoholism are common maladies in developed countries worldwide. The recommended intake is 3.7 liters (appx. 1 gallon) per day for an adult male, and 2.7 liters (appx. 0.75 gallon) for an adult female. An exception is the common pigeon, which can suck in water directly by inhalation. Although this general rule still stands, since that time, observations have been made of a few exceptions in both directions. Cats drink at a significantly slower pace than ruminants, who face greater natural predation hazards.