There is no single definition for moderate drinking. Even the federal government’s recommended two drinks per day for men is different from the one-drink suggestion for women when optimal health is the goal. These daily maximums are considered safe for most everyone of drinking age.
The National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines moderate drinking as “drinking that does not generally cause problems, either for the drinker or for society.” Yet that definition can be interpreted however a person might decide. For your edification, here are some strategies for defining and establishing a moderate drinking pattern in your own life:
– Know the standard measures for what is considered one alcoholic drink: 5 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits. Each of these drinks contains about the same amount of absolute alcohol, approximately half an ounce.
– Assess your drinking habits. Answering yes to any of the following questions suggests a possibility that you should change your drinking habits. Answering yes to more than one question means it is highly likelythat you should consider changing your habits.
1. Have you ever felt you should cut down on your drinking?
2. Have people annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?
3. Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your drinking?
4. Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover?
– Consider a moderation program. DrinkWise and Moderation Management recommend an initial abstinence period ranging from two weeks to 30 days. Once you re-establish a level of alcohol tolerance, these self-help programs (supported by in-person groups, phone consultations or online discussions) recommend keeping a daily drink diary. DrinkWise calls for a minimum of three months of diary keeping.
“You commit to becoming a primary investigator about yourself,” said Teresa Herzog Mourad, a DrinkWise counselor at the University of Michigan. “You not only count drinks, you assess how you cope with problems, find pleasure and study your habits. Sometimes we call it a `temptation diary’ because you come to learn whether drinking too much is something you want to do or if it is habit talking.”
Many participants in moderation programs are turned off by the first step of Alcoholic Anonymous, which is “We admitted we are powerless over alcohol–that our lives had become unmanageable.” Another problem is never being able to enjoy a drink again. They find daily and weekly guidelines useful.
DrinkWise suggests no more than 10 drinks per week for men and eight for women. The maximum on any one day is three for men and two for women, always splitting drinks at least one hour apart. Moderation Management guidelines are 14 drinks per week for men and nine for women, with daily caps of four for men and three for women.
Clearly, these programs naturally would create days without alcohol. Moderation Management suggests three per week for best results.
“It’s an easier adjustment than many people think,” said Herzog Mourad about meeting daily or weekly guidelines. “In fact, after nine months in the program most of our participants are most satisfied when women are consuming six drinks per week and men are consuming seven.”
