The following list provides information on what is considered one standard drink of alcohol.
- 14.0 grams (0.6 ounces) of pure alcohol.
- 12-ounces of beer (5% alcohol content).
- 8-ounces of malt liquor (7% alcohol content).
- 5-ounces of wine (12% alcohol content).
- 1.5-ounces or a “shot” of 80-proof (40% alcohol content) distilled spirits or liquor (e.g., gin, rum, vodka, whiskey).
- Alcohol consumption increases the risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, liver, and colon in men
- Approximately 63% of adult men reported drinking alcohol in the last 30 days. Men (24%) were two times more likely to binge drink than women during the same time period
- It is estimated that about 17% of men and about 8% of women will meet criteria for alcohol dependence at some point in their lives.
- Men are more likely than women to commit suicide, and more likely to have been drinking prior to committing suicide.
- Excessive alcohol use is commonly involved in sexual assault.
- Excessive alcohol use can interfere with testicular function and male hormone production resulting in impotence, infertility, and reduction of male secondary sex characteristics such as facial and chest hair.
- Moderate alcohol consumption may have beneficial effects on health. These include decreased risk for heart disease and mortality due to heart disease, decreased risk of ischemic stroke (in which the arteries to the brain become narrowed or blocked, resulting in reduced blood flow), and decreased risk of diabetes.
- In most Western countries where chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease (CHD), cancer, stroke, and diabetes are the primary causes of death, results from large epidemiological studies consistently show that alcohol reduces mortality, especially among middle-aged and older men and women—an association which is likely due to the protective effects of moderate alcohol consumption on CHD, diabetes, and ischemic stroke.
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s (NIAAA) definition of drinking at Low Risk for Developing an alcohol use disorder (AUD): For women, low-risk drinking is defined as no more than 3 drinks on any single day and no more than 7 drinks per week. For men, it is defined as no more than 4 drinks on any single day and no more than 14 drinks per week. NIAAA research shows that only about 2 in 100 people who drink within these limits have an AUD.