How much alcohol is “too much” alcohol? Well, it is not possible to put people into categories as alcohol has different effects on different people. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, moderate drinking is up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men.
Whereas “standard drinking” depends upon the type of drink consumed as it varies in content. Check out the comparison chart of National institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism on one standard drink:
- 12 fluid ounce of regular beer (5% alcohol)
- 8-9 fluid ounce of malt liquor (7% alcohol)
- 5 fluid ounce of table wine (12% alcohol)
- 1.5 fluid ounce shot of distilled spirits (40% alcohol)
Defining Binge Drinking
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that Binge drinking includes a pattern of drinking where a person’s blood alcohol concentration or BAC as it is commonly called, is at 0.08 g/dl or more. Especially for women, this will occur after four drinks in two hours and for men, it’s more than 5 drinks.
Serious risks of Binge drinking could include:
- Alcohol use disorders
- High blood pressure, stroke, liver disease and other chronic conditions
- Accidents, alcohol poisoning and other unintentional injuries
- Memory loss and learning problems
Dangers of Consuming Too Much Alcohol in One Night
We tend to drink a lot during birthdays, weddings or get-togethers. Drinking too much in one night can have negative consequences on our bodies.
Here are a few of the effects of drinking too much:
- Heart problems
- Brain Damage
- Alcohol poisoning
- Hangover
Determining Factors on How Alcohol Affects the Body
How your body gets affected depends majorly on your sex, genetics and metabolism. Aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) and Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) are the main enzymes that are part of the process of metabolizing alcohol.
As the ADH activity in women is lower than in men, they metabolize slower than men. Women drinking could result in higher blood alcohol levels as their bodies tend to have less water and more fat than men.
The Damage Repeated Alcohol Abuse Does to Your Body
Repeated alcohol abuse can continue to severely harm a person’s health over time. Here are the risks included:
- Damage to Liver and Pancreas
- Heart Disease
- Brain damage
Dependency and Becoming Susceptible to Alcoholism
Here are some of the other signs that could be noted if you believe someone has a disorder including:
- Difficulty limiting their drinking
- Despite personal and professional problems, they continue to drink
- Unable to think about anything else because they want to drink
- Are drinking more to get the same effect
Talk to Professional Counselors
Do you or someone you love have an alcohol addiction? We are here to help you face the challenges. Reach out to us Mallardlakedetox in Houston, TX and start your sober journey today.