What is Moderate Drinking?

Understanding what moderate drinking actually means and whether it's achievable for you.

Although no amount of alcohol consumption is considered entirely risk free, moderate or "low risk" drinking can be defined as drinking that does not cause problems or increased risk of problems for the drinker or for others. Moderate drinkers are able to enjoy the positive effects of alcohol, such as feeling more relaxed and sociable, without generating negative consequences.

What is Moderate Drinking?

Although no amount of alcohol consumption is considered entirely risk free, moderate or “low risk” drinking can be defined as drinking that does not cause problems or increased risk of problems for the drinker or for others. Moderate drinkers are able to enjoy the positive effects of alcohol, such as feeling more relaxed and sociable, without generating negative consequences. If you’re wondering whether this approach is achievable for you, understanding these definitions is an important first step.

According to the self-help program, Moderation Management, moderate drinkers:

• Consider an occasional drink to be a small, but enjoyable part of life
• Have other ways to relax and enjoy life that do not involve alcohol
• Do not drink for longer than an hour or two on any particular occasion
• Do not drink faster than one drink per half-hour
• Feel comfortable with their drinking
• Strictly obey local laws regarding drinking and driving
• Never drink secretly and do not spend a lot of time thinking about drinking or planning to drink

For those who find strict moderation challenging, harm reduction strategies offer a flexible range of options between heavy drinking and total abstinence. Practicing mindful drinking is another approach that can help you become more intentional about your alcohol consumption.

What Counts as a “Drink”?

The specific limits of moderate or low risk drinking rely on accepted definitions of what constitutes a “drink”. A standard drink is defined as a serving that contains approximately 14 grams of ethyl alcohol. This amount of alcohol is found in a 12 oz serving of beer, a 5 oz. glass of wine, or a 1.5 oz serving (“shot glass”) of hard liquor (e.g., vodka, scotch, vermouth, brandy, bourbon, rum, etc.).

Although these drinks are different sizes, each contains approximately the same amount of alcohol and each counts as one standard drink. Cocktails (mixed drinks) usually contain 2-3 standard drinks depending on how they are made. A bottle of table wine (750 ml) holds about 5 standard drinks. A pint of liquor (375 ml) contains 8.5 standard drinks. A “fifth” of liquor (750 ml) contains 17 standard drinks.

The Limits of Moderate Drinking

According to government health agencies like the NIAAA and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the limits of moderate (low risk) drinking are generally defined as no more than 4 standard drinks in a single day for a healthy adult man with a weekly total that does not exceed 14 drinks. The limits for a healthy adult woman are no more than 3 drinks in a single day with a weekly total of no more than 7 drinks.

It is estimated that 70% of adults in the U.S. drink within these “low risk” limits, including people who do not drink at all. Moderate drinking means limiting not only the number of drinks consumed in a given day, but also the rate of drinking so that the drinker’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) does not rise too quickly or too high. For most people, this means drinking no faster than one drink per half-hour.

Women vs. Men

The existence of separate drinking guidelines for men and women stems from research findings that women become more intoxicated than men at an equivalent dose of alcohol. This is due, in part, to a significant difference between men and women in the activity of an enzyme in the stomach that breaks down alcohol before it reaches the bloodstream. This enzyme is four times more active in males than in females.

In addition, women have proportionately more body fat and less water content than men. Because alcohol is more soluble in water than in fat, a given amount of alcohol becomes more highly concentrated in a woman’s body than in a man’s. Research shows that women experience alcohol-related problems at lower drinking levels than men do.

People Who Should Not Drink at All

Moderate drinking guidelines exclude the following persons, who are advised not to consume alcoholic beverages at all:

• Women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant
• People who plan to drive, operate other potentially dangerous machinery, or engage in any safety-sensitive activities requiring coordination, attention, and skill
• Individuals taking medications, including over-the-counter medications, that may interact adversely with alcohol
• Alcoholics in recovery and others with a history of serious alcohol problems who have already been abstaining from alcohol
• Anyone under the age of 21
• Anyone with a medical or psychiatric condition that would only be made worse by drinking, even in moderation