The World Health Organization has raised the bar for a safe dose of alcohol.Now, according to recently published WHO recommendations, a healthy man can drink up to 10 liters of pure alcohol per year without harming his health.Women are entitled to a third less.This generosity from the WHO is equivalent to approximately one bottle of vodka per week.But our narcologists are more conservative;they always respect the usual limits: a maximum of 8 liters of “pure” alcohol per year and 3 to 4 days of total abstinence per week.At the same time, more and more doctors insist on changing the traditional principles of helping people with alcohol problems, established since Soviet times.
“More than 8 liters of pure alcohol per person per year is the extinction of a nation,” says the head of the psychotherapy department of the National Scientific Center of Narcology, professor. — We are currently consuming 15.1 liters.We are in the top negative.Increased alcohol consumption does not arise out of nowhere - it is an attempt to relieve stress, to some extent escape from reality and resolve certain psychological problems.It partly works: after drinking, a withdrawn person becomes free, his mood improves, and problems are relegated to the background.But it is still a psychological trap and a pseudo-solution to problems.Man pays too high a price for this.Pay with pathology of the liver, heart, brain.Additionally, by the time the actual symptoms of the disease appear, the person is usually already deeply dependent on alcohol.
Expert Tip: How Much Can You Drink With Minimal Health Risks?
A safe amount of alcohol is considered to be 14 to 28 drinks per week for men and 7 to 14 drinks per week for women.Moreover, this norm is conditional: for some people, for example, with unfavorable heredity, the risk of deterioration in health occurs when drinking very small amounts of alcohol.
How to drink correctly?
We often say: abroad, you eat with a drink, but here, you drink with a snack.The main principle should be: the fewer, the better.And of course, the drinks must be of high quality.It is preferable to favor dry wines – not fortified or dessert wines.Vodka, cognac and other strong drinks, if they get into the stomach, can cause a condition close to a burn of the mucous membrane.It is therefore better to dilute high strength drinks.If we spread a diluted drink (it could be wine) throughout the evening, the total dose of pure alcohol will be low and the damage to health will be minimized.Since the oxidation of alcohol in the body requires increased consumption of vitamins, it is advisable to take multivitamins, and the table should include greens, vegetables and fruits.
How healthy is dry red wine?
Truly convincing evidence of the benefits of moderate alcohol consumption, including dry wines, has not yet been obtained.But many experts believe that the dose of pure alcohol, not the type of drink, is of primary importance in the ability to relieve stress.It is therefore better to drink less, but better.
How much alcohol is considered safe?
According to the recommendations of the same WHO, men should consume no more than 40 g of pure alcohol per day (approximately 2 bottles of beer, 100 ml of vodka or 3 glasses of dry wine).And for women - 30 g of pure alcohol (1.5 bottles of beer or 80 g of vodka, 2 glasses of dry wine).And this on condition that the person does not take a drop of alcohol 2 days a week.
When does addiction start?
Few people dare to admit their alcohol addiction.Most people consider themselves light drinkers, but one person may drink a bottle of beer a day, but every day, while another drinks rarely, but drinks a lot.Which one of them has alcohol problems?WHO experts distinguish four forms of alcohol consumption.
- Safe form.This is when a person drinks no more than 210ml (for men) or 135ml (for women) of pure alcohol per week.At the same time, the amount of alcohol per day should not exceed safe doses: 40 ml (for men) and 30 ml of ethyl alcohol (for women).
- Dangerous form.This is when a person exceeds safe doses and does not adhere to the sobriety regime.
- Doctors warn that with such an attitude towards alcoholic beverages, a person risks becoming dependent on alcohol in the future and contracting one of the diseases associated with excessive consumption of strong drinks (liver cirrhosis, stomach ulcers, anemia, heart failure, etc.) as a "bonus".
- Consumption with harmful consequences.This is when a person drinks heavily (continuous alcohol consumption for more than 2 days) and feels an irresistible urge to have a hangover.
- But the most characteristic symptom of this form is the loss of control over the amount of alcohol consumed.That is, a person loses a sense of proportion and therefore gets drunk more and more often.
- The third form of consumption of alcoholic beverages is not yet considered addictive, but it causes considerable wear and tear on the drinker's brain and internal organs.
- Alcoholism.This form of alcohol consumption is characterized by a person's persistent reluctance to give up alcohol, even in the name of poor health.
At this stage, the form of intoxication also changes, for example, before a person got drunk, became cheerful and fell asleep, but now he behaves aggressively.At the same time, the dose of alcohol drunk in a day increases several times.
How much alcohol can a person drink per day?
People aredifferent attitudes towards alcohol.Some people cannot live a day without drinking at least one glass of vodka.Some people drink several times a month and only on special occasions.There are also individuals who react completely indifferently to alcoholic beverages.Is there a safe dose of alcohol?Some doctors assure their patients that they can drink no more than one dose of alcohol per week, while others are convinced that the amount of alcohol more than 60 ml of vodka and 150 ml of wine per month already indicates drunkenness.Scientists have even developed many different formulas to determine a safe dose of alcohol for the human body.But most narcologists agree that each person has his own, purely personal norm of alcohol consumption, which directly depends on his individual characteristics.The last hypothesis can be considered the most plausible, because some people are able to get drunk with a glass of wine, while others are not affected by a bottle of vodka.It is more dangerous for the weaker sex to drink alcohol.A woman very quickly becomes addicted to alcohol consumption and even small doses of alcoholic beverages become addictive.By drinking regularly, a woman runs the risk of becoming an alcoholic within 2 years.Men tolerate alcoholic beverages better and do not get drunk so quickly - after 10 years.
Doctors conducted numerous studies, as a result of which they came to the conclusion: to avoid falling asleep, men of average build can drink up to 250 ml of wine, 500 ml of beer and no more than 50 ml of vodka (or another drink up to 40 degrees) per day.For women, the permitted portion of alcohol per day is smaller: wine - no more than 150 ml, beer - up to 330 ml and vodka - 30 ml.It should be understood that we are talking about only one of the listed alcoholic beverages, and not about all of them at once.Scientists believe that these portions are unlikely to have a negative impact on human health.If you drink alcohol above the safe limit, strong drinks will gradually and steadily turn you into a real alcoholic.Gender isn't the only thing to consider when calculating a person's safe alcohol level.Climatic conditions also play an important role in the process of involvement in alcoholism.It has been noticed that in cold regions people become drunkards much faster than in areas where the temperature regime is comfortable.Another factor to consider when determining the allowable dose of alcohol is the age of the drinker.The younger the body, the faster it gets drunk, which means that it is more susceptible to the negative effects of ethyl alcohol.A young man who drinks low-alcohol beer will get drunk faster than a middle-aged man who drinks strong drinks.
It should be understood that alcohol, even in small quantities, is contraindicated for pregnant and lactating women, children, adolescents, drivers and people taking medication.According to the WHO, drinking around 8 liters of alcoholic beverages over the course of a year causes irreparable damage to health.At the same time, domestic narcologists note that the average citizen can drink 15-18 liters of alcohol per year, which is already a threatening sign of drunkenness.Why do people in some countries drink more than the legal limit?For most of our compatriots, the concepts of “drinking” and “vacation” are synonymous.Not a single celebration takes place without the tables sagging under the weight of bottles of vodka, cognac and wine.Inviting guests to your home and not placing a bottle of alcohol in front of them is considered a sign of indecency.If under normal circumstances a person is able to control the amount he drinks, then during a feast he consciously allows himself more to relax and have fun.
It's not for nothing that after the holidays people suffer from all kinds of chronic illnesses.In order to comply with the standard, a person must clearly determine for himself how muchshe can drink and not exceed her daily limit.This is the only way to develop a drinking culture.But vacations are not the only thing that contributes to the development of alcoholism.Having contracted a viral infection, some people prefer to be treated not with medications, but with strong drinks.Alcohol really helps to destroy pathogenic microbes, but along with them it slowly and surely destroys the entire body.And people who, during treatment, combine the consumption of strong drinks with medications are doing themselves a disservice: even the smallest portions of vodka, cognac or other drinks taken with tablets or mixtures deal a fatal blow to the liver, pancreas and cardiovascular system.In addition, excessive portions of alcohol contribute to the development of alcohol dependence.In the presence of serious illnesses, alcohol poisoning occurs much faster.A dangerous condition is indicated by very low body temperature (3-4 degrees below normal) and difficult breathing.Usually, within 12 to 36 hours after a huge amount of alcohol enters the body, a person's heart stops and death occurs.
How much can you drink in other countries?In foreign countries, a safe dose of alcohol for men is considered to be 30 ml of pure ethyl alcohol per day (this amount is contained in approximately 300 ml of wine, 600 ml of beer or 40 ml of vodka).For foreign women, the permissible alcohol limit is exactly 2 times lower than for representatives of the stronger sex.Doctors are confident that if you drink alcoholic beverages in the indicated doses, they will help prevent diseases of the cardiovascular system.In the Misty Albus, the permitted dose of alcohol is 32 ml of pure ethanol for men and 24 ml for women.In another country, an adult man, without fear of harming his health and committing suicide, can afford, with a clear conscience, to drink alcoholic beverages containing no more than 20 ml of alcohol.For women, this rate is reduced to 10 ml per day.In countries with dark-skinned populations, the permitted amount of alcohol is 24 ml of pure ethanol per day for the male population.
There is an opinion that the daily dose of alcohol recommended by doctors is not only safe, but also very useful, and moderate drinkers live longer than abstainers.But proponents of the hypothesis warn that only dry red wine can provide benefits;stronger drinks will not bring any benefit to the body.Allowing themselves to drink, they always know their limit and know how to stop in time.These happy people are not afraid of alcoholism.Well, for those who do not know how to control themselves, the only way to avoid addiction to alcoholic beverages is not to listen to stories about safe doses of alcohol and not to drink at all.
The Ministry of Health warns: how much alcohol can you drink?
Specialists of the Ministry of Health have calculated alcohol consumption norms for men and women, which can be used for labeling these products.The National Research Center for Preventive Medicine of the Ministry of Health has calculated safety standards for alcohol consumption, the newspaper article said.The standards define the amount of drinking that corresponds to low, medium and high health risk.According to calculations by the National Scientific Research Center for Medical Prevention, if a man drinks 1.5 liters of 4.5 degree beer three days a week, the risk will be low.The same dosage for five days will increase the risk to medium, and daily consumption of this amount of foamy drink corresponds to high risk.Men can drink a 50ml glass of low health risk vodka twice a day;while respecting safety standards, it is best for women to drink one.If this standard is exceeded, the risk will become medium.According to the recommendations of the National Scientific Research Center for Pregnancy and Pregnancy, a woman can drink two glasses (100 ml each) of dry wine with a strength of 13 degrees per day.Or a 150 ml glass of champagne.These doses mean low risk, even if consumed throughout the week.
It is impossible to identify acceptable and unacceptable levels of alcohol consumption, the newspaper quoted the director of the nation's Institute of Narcological Health as saying.“Such recommendations or calculations of health risks can be made for each person, taking into account their weight, the state of body systems, the enzymatic apparatus that breaks down alcohol; these points are discussed in WHO documents,” notes the expert.The director of the National Alcohol Policy Development Center said that it is quite difficult for people to control their alcohol consumption at certain levels and stop at the right time based on recommendations.They are not deterred by the consequences.“If a person feels good, why would he suddenly stop, so it must be said that starting to drink alcohol is already a risk,” said the expert.