A drinking “binge” is more than five drinks within a two-hour period for men or four drinks in a two-hour period for women.
A standard drink is 0.6 fluid ounces of pure alcohol.
Many drinks at restaurants and bars contain more than the standard 0.6 oz. of alcohol per serving because of the different ingredients they contain and the size of the glasses in which they are served.
To be considered low risk for alcohol use disorder, men shouldn’t have more than four drinks in a single day and no more than 14 drinks per week. Women shouldn’t drink more than three drinks per day and seven drinks per week.
It’s the weekend, and you’re having a night out with friends. You’re having a good time but being responsible by keeping track of your drinks so as not to overindulge.

Yet, despite your efforts, there’s a good chance that you could end up binge drinking without even knowing it.

A drinking “binge” is definedTrusted Source by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as five or more drinks within a two-hour period for men and four drinks in a two-hour period for women.

That guideline may seem clear, but in actuality, it can be a lot harder than it seems to get a clear picture of how much you’re drinking.

That’s because even when you’re tracking your drinks, those drinks may have more alcohol in them than you’d expect.

“In a typical context, someone’s already consuming probably 1.5 to two drinks when they may think they are only consuming one drink,” he said.

Part of the NIH’s new strategy to inform Americans about binge drinking which they’ve rolled out in a new website called Rethinking Your Drinking  is to help them clearly understand their drinking behavior in as objective a manner as possible.

It’s a task that may sound simple, but it can actually be difficult for many people when they’re at a bar or in other social situations where alcohol is present.

“There are so many potential variables that can distort [the quantity of alcohol in a drink]. Unless the individual is making the drink themselves or measuring out these quantities, these ratios could vary significantly.

So, exactly how much alcohol is there in a drink?


A standard drink is defined as 0.6 fluid ounces, or 14 grams, of pure alcohol. Generally, this works out to be one:

12-oz. beer (5 percent alcohol)
5-oz. glass of wine (12 percent alcohol)
1.5-oz. shot of hard liquor (80 proof/40 percent alcohol)
Assessing your alcohol intake gets more difficult if you like cocktails or other mixed drinks.

Using the NIH’s cocktail calculator, you may be surprised to see that many cocktails contain more alcohol than a standard drink.

A mojito is actually closer to 1.3 drinks; a gin and tonic, 1.6 drinks.

For drinks traditionally served in larger glasses, you’re definitely getting more than one standard drink.

A margarita is closer to 1.7 standard drinks. A piña colada can pack the equivalent of two drinks in one.

“There are a lot of people who don’t realize that a cocktail could be more than one drink, because there are multiple kinds of alcohol put in it or the amounts are more than a shot or a glass of wine would be,” said Dr. Casia Horseman, a psychiatrist at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

The size of your drink also matters.

A pint of beer, which is a common serving in a bar or restaurant, is actually 16 oz., or about 1.3 drinks.

So, keep in mind what a standard drink is, and be aware that the size of your glass could be deceptive in how much alcohol you’re consuming.

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Excessive alcohol consumption is more than five drinks in a two-hour period for men or four drinks in a two-hour period for women.
A standard drink is 0.6 fluid ounces of pure alcohol.
Many drinks in restaurants and bars contain more than 0.6 oz. of alcohol per serving due to the different ingredients they contain and the size of the glasses in which they are served.
To be considered at risk of alcohol use disorder, men should not drink more than four drinks in a single day and no more than 14 drinks per week. Women should not drink more than three drinks per day and seven drinks per week.
It's the weekend and you have a party night with friends. You are having fun but you are responsible for keeping track of your drinks so you don't spoil yourself too much.

However, despite his efforts, there is a good chance that he may end up drinking excessively without even knowing it.

A source of trust is defined by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as five or more drinks in a two-hour period for men and four drinks in a two-hour period for women.

That guideline may seem clear, but in reality, it can be much harder than it seems to have a clear idea of how much you are drinking.

This is because even when you keep track of your drinks, those drinks may contain more alcohol than you would expect.

"The pouring of a beverage is significantly greater than the limits that are identified as a standard volume for drinks, medical director of Wellbridge Addiction Treatment and Research in Calverton, New York.

"In a typical context, someone is already probably consuming 1.5 to two drinks when they may think they are only consuming one drink," he said.

Part of NIH's new strategy to inform Americans about excessive alcohol consumption, which they have launched on a new website called Rethinking Your Drinking, is to help them clearly understand their alcohol use behavior in the most objective way possible.

It is a task that may sound simple, but in reality it can be difficult for many people when they are in a bar or in other social situations where alcohol is present.

“There are so many potential variables that can distort [the amount of alcohol in a drink]. Unless the individual is preparing the drink or measuring these amounts, these proportions can vary significantly.

So, exactly how much alcohol is in a drink?


A standard drink is defined as 0.6 fluid ounces, or 14 grams, of pure alcohol. In general, this turns out to be one:

12 ounces beer (5 percent alcohol)
5 ounces glass of wine (12 percent alcohol)
1.5 ounces shot of hard liquor (80 tests / 40 percent alcohol)
Assessing your alcohol intake becomes more difficult if you like cocktails or other mixed drinks.

When using the NIH cocktail calculator, you may be surprised to see that many cocktails contain more alcohol than a standard drink.

A mojito is closer to 1.3 drinks; A gin and tonic, 1.6 drinks.

For drinks that are traditionally served in larger glasses, you will definitely get more than one standard drink.

A margarita is closer to 1.7 standard drinks. A pina colada can pack the equivalent of two drinks in one.

"There are many people who do not realize that a cocktail could be more than one drink, because there are several types of alcohol or the amounts are more than it would be a drink or a glass of wine," he said. Dr. Casia Horseman, a psychiatrist at the Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State University.

The size of your drink is also important.


A pint of beer, which is a common serving in a bar or restaurant, is actually 16 ounces, or about 1.3 drinks.

Therefore, consider what a standard drink is and keep in mind that the size of your glass could be misleading in the amount of alcohol you consume.

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Get answers from a doctor in minutes, at any time
Do you have medical questions? Connect with an experienced doctor and certified by the board online or by phone.

When does the drink become binge?


Creating responsible consumption habits is also about observing your long-term consumption patterns. While a single episode of excessive alcohol consumption may not be indicative of a problem with alcohol, prolonged alcohol consumption may be a sign of alcohol use disorder.

To be considered at risk of alcohol use disorder, men should not drink more than four drinks in a single day and no more than 14 drinks per week. Women should not drink more than three drinks per day and seven drinks per week.

Again, it is not the actual amount of drinks you are consuming, but the amount of alcohol they contain.

While it is possible that you are only taking a couple of margaritas or pina coladas per night, it is likely that this amount of alcohol will place you in a territory of excessive alcohol consumption more than you think.

"If you end up in the high-risk or intermediate-risk category, it doesn't mean anything bad about you as a person. It simply means that, as with any other health problem, you probably should make some lifestyle changes to begin with, at least.

People who drink more than this are at risk of alcohol use disorder. It is known that both excessive alcohol consumption and alcohol use disorder have significant negative effects on the health of the body and the brain.

In the short term, excessive alcohol consumption can lead to poor decision making and an increased risk of injury and bodily harm.




"You are more likely to drink and drive if you are drinking excessively because your judgment is impaired, or you may be more likely to have sex with someone without protection because your judgment is impaired.

Possible acute effects of alcohol intoxication due to excessive alcohol consumption also include increased blood pressure, irregular heartbeats and alcohol poisoning.

Public health experts have attached more importance to excessive alcohol consumption as problematic behavior in recent years, as it tends to disproportionately affect certain populations, such as adolescents and young adults.

Excessive alcohol consumption occurs more frequently in people between the ages of 18 and 34.

The really contemporary conversation we should have about alcohol and other drugs of abuse is not waiting until the end of the process, but being much more proactive in assessing whether these behaviors are emerging in someone's life,

“At some level, at least the positive opinion about this would be that compulsive behaviors would represent, at least for some, an early phase of a progression that can lead to much more severe challenges, so it is a domain where interventions can really Be a great help. tremendous value for the individual,