There is no global consensus on recommended maximum intake (or safe limits) of the drug alcohol. The guidelines provided by health agencies of governments are varied and are shown below. These recommendations concerning maximum intake are distinct from any legal restrictions (e.g. driving after consuming alcohol) that may apply in those countries. The American Heart Association recommends that those who do not already consume alcoholic beverages should not start doing so because of the negative long-term effects of alcohol consumption.
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Caveats
The guidelines are general guidelines applying to a typical person. However, there are some people who should not consume alcohol, or limit their use to less than guideline amounts. These are:
- "People with chronic hepatitis C (or other forms of chronic hepatitis infection) who drink heavily [and exceed maximum recommended consumption levels] have poorer health outcomes than those who drink less." That is, they have poorer health outcomes than do those who drink within the guidelines.
- Thin people -- those below average body weight (60 kilograms (130 lb) for men, 50 kilograms (110 lb) for women)
- People with a relative who has, or has had, a problem with alcohol. First-degree relatives are parents and siblings; second-degree relatives are grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins. These individuals "are urged to be careful about how much they drink."
- People with a mental health problem (such as anxiety or depression) or sleep disturbances Individuals with a mental health problem "should take particular care to stay within the levels set in Guideline 1" (i.e. no more than 2 standard drinks a day).
- People taking medications or other drugs, if contraindicated, "Numerous classes of prescription medications can interact with alcohol, including antibiotics, antidepressants, antihistamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, muscle relaxants, non-narcotic pain medications and anti-inflammatory agents, opioids, and warfarin. In addition, many over-the-counter and herbal medications can cause negative effects when taken with alcohol." Others include analgesics, aspirin, insulin, and oral contraceptives. "The list of medications that may interact with alcohol is so long that you should always consult a pharmacist or physician before drinking while using any medicine."
- Older people because their bodies may be less able to handle the effects of alcohol. Older people are urged "to consider drinking less than the levels set in Guideline 1" (i.e. no more than 2 standard drinks a day).
- Young adults (aged about 18-25 years) are urged to drink no more than 2 standard drinks a day.
- Young people (up to about 18 years) "should not drink to become intoxicated."
- People who are or have been dependent on other drugs
- People who have a poor diet, or are under-nourished
- People who have a family history of cancer or other risk factors for cancer (see Alcohol and cancer for details of how alcohol affects the risk of various cancers)
- People who are told not to drink for legal, medical or other reasons
- "People who choose not to drink alcohol should not be urged to drink to gain any potential health benefit, and should be supported in their decision not to drink. ... Non-drinkers can use other strategies, such as regular exercise, giving up smoking, and a healthy diet, to gain protection against heart disease."
The standard guidelines may be too high when:
- undertaking activities that involve risk or a degree of skill such as flying, scuba diving, water sports, ski-ing, using complex or heavy machinery or farm machinery, and driving.
- suffering an acute or chronic physical disease such as heart and lung disease, influenza, diabetes, epilepsy or acute infections
- recovering from an accident, injury or operation
- taking sleeping pills or tranquillisers, anti-depressants or narcotics
- responsible for the safety of others at work or at home
Units and standard drinks
Countries express alcohol intake in units or standard drinks when recommending maximum alcohol intake. A standard drink is, in many countries, about 12 fluid ounces (=355 ml) of beer @5% ABV (alcohol by volume), or 5 oz. (= 150 ml) of wine @12% ABV, or the size of another beverage containing an equivalent amount of alcohol. In increasing order of size a unit of alcohol is defined as:
Men
The standard drink size is given in brackets.
Daily maximum drinks (no weekly limits recommended)
- Australia: 2/day; 14/week (@10 g = 20 g/day, 140 g/week) (New guidelines were adopted on 6 March 2009.)
- Austria: 24 g
- Czech Republic: 24 g
- Germany: 24 g/day
- Hong Kong: 2/day (20 g)
- Italy: 40 g (30 g for the elderly)
- Japan: 1-2 (@19.75 g = 19.75-39.5 g)
- Netherlands: 10g (0g recommended)
- Portugal: 37 g
- Spain: 3 (@10 g = 30 g) Also suggests a maximum of no more than twice this on any one occasion.
- Sweden: 20 g
- Switzerland: 3 (@10g =30g) for men and 2 (@10g =20g) for women
Therefore, these countries recommend limits for men in the range 20-40 g per day.
Daily/weekly maximum drinks
These countries recommend a weekly limit, but intake on a particular day may be higher than one-seventh of the weekly amount.
- Canada: 2/day; 14/week (@13.6 g = 27.2 g/day, 190 g/week)
- New Zealand: To reduce long-term health risks, 3/day (30 g/day); 15/week (150 g/week); At least two alcohol-free days every week To reduce risk of injury per occasion: 5 standard drinks (50 g) on any single occasion.
- USA: 1-2 units/day (14-28 g/day)(½-1 fl. oz./day), not to exceed 14 units/week (196 g/week)(6.5 fl. oz./wk)
Therefore, these countries recommend limits for men in the range 27.2-32 g of ethanol per day and 168-210 g of ethanol per week.
Weekly maximum drinks
- Denmark: 168 g
- Finland: 15 units (@11 g = 165 g/week)
- Ireland: 21 units (@10 g = 210 g/week)
- United Kingdom: 14 units (@8 g = 112 g/week)
Women who are neither pregnant nor breastfeeding
Women trying to become pregnant should look at the guidelines for pregnant women given in the next section.
Daily maximum drinks (no weekly limits recommended)
- Australia: 2/day; 14/week (@10 g = 20 g/day, 140 g/week)
- Austria: 16 g
- Czech Republic: 16 g
- Germany: 12 g/day
- Hong Kong: 1/day (10 g)
- Italy: 30 g (25 g for elderly women)
- Netherlands: 2 (@9.9 g = 19.8 g)
- Portugal: 18.5 g
- Spain: 2 (@10 g = 20 g) Also suggests a maximum of no more than twice this on any one occasion.
- Sweden: 10 g
- Switzerland: 2 (@10-12 g = 20-24 g)
Therefore, these countries recommend limits for women in the range 10-30 g per day.
Daily/weekly maximum drinks
These countries recommend a weekly limit, but your intake on a particular day may be higher than one-seventh of the weekly amount.
- Canada: 2/day; 9/week (@13.6 g = 27.2 g/day, 122.4 g/week)
- New Zealand: To reduce long-term health risks - 2/day (20 g/day); 10/week (100 g/week); At least two alcohol-free days per week To reduce risk of injury per occasion, 4 standard drinks (40 g) on any single occasion
- USA: 1/day; 7/week (@14g = 14 g/day, 98 g/week)
Therefore, these countries recommend limits for women in the range 14-27.2 g per day and 98-140 g per week.
Weekly maximum drinks
- Denmark 84 g
- Finland: 10 units (@11 g = 110 g/week)
- Ireland: 14 units (@10 g = 140 g/week)
- United Kingdom: 14 units (@8 g = 112 g/week)
Pregnant women
Excessive drinking in pregnancy is the cause of Fetal alcohol syndrome (BE: foetal alcohol syndrome), especially in the first eight to twelve weeks of pregnancy. Therefore, pregnant women receive special advice. It is not known whether there is a safe minimum amount of alcohol consumption, although low levels of drinking are not known to be harmful. As there may be some weeks between conception and confirmation of pregnancy, most countries recommend that women trying to become pregnant should follow the guidelines for pregnant women.
- Australia: Total abstinence during pregnancy and if planning a pregnancy
- Canada: "Don't drink if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant."
- France: Total abstinence
- Iceland: Advise that pregnant women abstain from alcohol during pregnancy because no safe consumption level exists.
- Israel: Women should avoid consuming alcohol before and during pregnancy
- The Netherlands: Abstinence
- New Zealand: "Women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant should avoid drinking alcohol."
- Norway: Abstinence
- UK: Previously, UK government advice was to avoid alcohol for first 3 months of pregnancy. NICE guidelines (2007) stated, "If you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, you should try to avoid alcohol completely in the first 3 months of pregnancy because there may be an increased risk of miscarriage. If you choose to drink while you are pregnant, you should drink no more than 1 or 2 UK units of alcohol once or twice a week. There is uncertainty about how much alcohol is safe to drink in pregnancy, but at this low level there is no evidence of any harm to the unborn baby. You should not get drunk or binge drink (drinking more than 7.5 UK units of alcohol on a single occasion) while you are pregnant because this can harm your unborn baby." However the draft UK Health Department guidelines, released in January 2016 now advise to avoid alcohol altogether if pregnant or planning a pregnancy.
- US: Total abstinence during pregnancy and while planning to become pregnant
In short, all countries listed above now recommend that women abstain from alcohol consumption if they are pregnant or likely to become pregnant.
Breastfeeding women
"Alcohol passes to the baby in small amounts in breast milk. The milk will smell different to the baby and may affect their feeding, sleeping or digestion. The best advice is to avoid drinking shortly before a baby's feed." "Alcohol inhibits a mother's let-down (the release of milk to the nipple). Studies have shown that babies take around 20% less milk if there's alcohol present, so they'll need to feed more often - although infants have been known to go on 'nursing strike', probably because of the altered taste of the milk." "There is little research evidence available about the effect that [alcohol in breast milk] has on the baby, although practitioners report that, even at relatively low levels of drinking, it may reduce the amount of milk available and cause irritability, poor feeding and sleep disturbance in the infant. Given these concerns, a prudent approach is advised."
- Australia: Total abstinence advised
- Iceland: Total abstinence advised because no safe consumption level exists.
- New Zealand: Abstinence recommended, especially in the first month of breastfeeding so that sound breastfeeding patterns can be established.
- United Kingdom: Total abstinence advised by some, such as the Royal College of Midwives; others advise to limit alcohol to occasional use in small amounts not exceeding the recommended maximums for non-breastfeeding woman as this is known to cause harm, and that daily or binge drinking be avoided.
Minors
Countries have different recommendations concerning the administration of alcohol to minors by adults.
- United Kingdom: Children aged under 15 should never be given alcohol, even in small quantities. Children aged 15-17 should not be given alcohol on more than one day a week -- and then only under supervision from carers or parents.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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