There is an intoxicating ingredient Ethyl spirit, or ethanol, which is found in beer, wine, and liquor. Spirit is typically produced by the fermentation of yeast, sugars, and starches. This is a standard process globally.
In the USA, a standard drink equals to 14.0 grams (0.6 ounces) of pure spirit. Essentially, this amount of pure spirit is found in
12 ounces of beer (5% spirit content).
8 ounces of malt liquor (7% spirit content).
5 ounces of wine (12% spirit content).
1.5 ounces or a “shot” of 80-proof (40% spirit content) distilled spirits or liquor (e.g., gin, rum, vodka, whiskey).That’s not correct, 12-ounce beer has the same amount of alcohol as one 5-ounce glass of wine or 1.5-ounce shot of liquor. It is the amount of alcohol consumed that affects a person most, not the type of alcoholic drink.
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, moderation in drink means, to drink in by limiting intake to 2 drinks or less in a day for men and 1 drink or less in a day for women, when spirit is consumed. Drinking less is good for health than drinking more.
It generally means to use binge drinking, heavy drinking, any alcohol use by people under the age of 21 minimum and any alcohol use by pregnant women.
Binge drinking is referred as a pattern of spirit consumption that brings the blood spirit concentration (BAC) level to 0.08% or more. This pattern of drinking usually corresponds to 5 or more drinks on a single occasion for men or 4 or more drinks on a single occasion for women.
It is the result of consuming excessive amounts of alcohol. Binge drinking typically results in acute intoxication. Alcohol intoxication can be harmful for a variety of reasons, including:
Impaired brain function resulting in poor judgment, reduced reaction time, loss of balance and motor skills, or slurred speech.
Dilation of blood vessels, causing a feeling of warmth but resulting in rapid loss of body heat.
Increased risk of certain cancers, stroke, and liver diseases (e.g., cirrhosis), particularly when excessive amounts of alcohol are consumed over extended periods of time.
Damage to a developing fetus if consumed by pregnant women.
Increased risk of motor-vehicle traffic crashes, violence, and other injuries.Coma and death can occur if alcohol is consumed rapidly and in large amounts.
For men, heavy drinking is typically defined as consuming 15 drinks or more per week. For women, heavy drinking is typically defined as consuming 8 drinks or more per week.
Excessive drinking is associated with numerous health problems, including
Chronic diseases such as liver cirrhosis (damage to liver cells); pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas); various cancers, including liver, mouth, throat, larynx (the voice box), and esophagus; high blood pressure; and psychological disorders.
Unintentional injuries, such as motor-vehicle traffic crashes, falls, drowning, burns, and firearm injuries.
Violence, such as child maltreatment, homicide, and suicide.
Harm to a developing fetus if a woman drinks while pregnant, such as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Alcohol use disordersThere is a solid scientific evidence that drinking alcohol causes cancers of the mouth and throat, liver, breast (in women) and colon and rectum, and for some types of cancer, the risk increases even at low levels of alcohol consumption (less than 1 drink in a day). The more alcohol a person drinks, the higher the risk of developing an alcohol-associated cancer. The risk varies by many factors, such as the quantity of alcohol consumed and type of cancer. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that adults who choose to drink do so in moderation – 1 drink or less on a day for women or 2 drinks or less on a day for men. However, emerging evidence suggests that even drinking within the recommended limits may increase the overall risk of death from various causes, such as from several types of cancer and some forms of cardiovascular disease.
It means that the legal limit for drinking is the level above which a person is subject to legal penalties (e.g., arrest or loss of a driver’s license).
Legal limits are measured using either a blood alcohol test or a breathalyzer.
Legal limits are typically defined by state law, and may vary according to individual characteristics, such as age and occupation.All states in the United States have adopted 0.08% (80 mg/dL) as the legal limit for operating a motor vehicle for drivers aged 21 years or older (except for Utah, which adopted a 0.05% legal limit in 2018). However, drivers younger than 21 are not allowed to operate a motor vehicle with any level of alcohol in their system.
Note: Legal limits do not define a level below which it is safe to operate a vehicle or engage in some other activity. Impairment due to alcohol use begins to occur at levels well below the legal limit.