The World Health Organization has raised the standard for a safe dose of alcohol.Now, according to recently published WHO recommendations, a healthy man can drink up to 10 liters of pure alcohol per year without harming his health.Women are entitled to a third less.This generosity from the WHO is equivalent to about a bottle of vodka per week.But our narcologists are more conservative;continue to respect the usual limits: a maximum of 8 liters of “pure” alcohol per year and 3-4 days of total sobriety per week.At the same time, more and more doctors insist on changing the traditional principles of assistance to people with alcohol problems, established since Soviet times.
“More than 8 liters of pure alcohol per person per year is the extinction of a nation”, says the head of the psychotherapy department at the National Scientific Center for Narcology, professor. — We currently consume 15.1 liters.We are at the negative top.The increase in alcohol consumption does not occur out of nowhere - it is an attempt to relieve stress, escape reality to some extent and solve some psychological problems.This partly works: after drinking, a withdrawn person becomes liberated, his mood improves, and problems are relegated to the background.Still, this is a psychological trap and a pseudo-solution to problems.Man pays a very high price for this.Pays with pathology of the liver, heart, brain.Furthermore, when real symptoms of the disease appear, the person, as a rule, is already deeply dependent on alcohol.”
Expert advice: how much can you drink with minimal health risk?
A safe amount of alcohol is considered to be 14 to 28 drinks per week for men and 7 to 14 drinks per week for women.Moreover, this norm is conditional: for some people, for example, with unfavorable heredity, the risk of deteriorating health occurs when consuming very small amounts of alcohol.
How to drink correctly?
They often say: out there they eat with drinks, but here they drink with snacks.The main principle should be: the less, the better.And, of course, drinks must be of high quality.It is better to give preference to dry wines – unfortified or dessert.Vodka, cognac and other strong drinks, if they get into the stomach, can cause a condition close to a burn on the mucous membrane, so it is better to dilute drinks with a high alcohol content.If we extend a diluted drink (it can be wine) throughout the night, the total dose of pure alcohol will be small and the damage to health will be minimized.As the oxidation of alcohol in the body requires an increase in the consumption of vitamins, it is advisable to take multivitamins, and the table should include greens, vegetables and fruits.
How healthy is dry red wine?
Truly convincing evidence of the benefits of moderate alcohol consumption, including dry wines, has not yet been obtained.But many experts believe that the dose of pure alcohol, not the type of drink, is of primary importance in the ability to relieve stress.Therefore, it is better to drink less, but better.
What dose of alcohol is considered safe?
According to recommendations from the same WHO, men should not consume more than 40 g of pure alcohol per day (about 2 bottles of beer, 100 ml of vodka or 3 glasses of dry wine).And for women - 30 g of pure alcohol (1.5 bottles of beer or 80 g of vodka, 2 glasses of dry wine).And that's as long as the person doesn't drink a drop of alcohol 2 days a week.
When does addiction start?
Few people dare to admit their addiction to alcohol.Most people consider themselves light drinkers, but one person may drink a bottle of beer a day, but every day, while another drinks it rarely, but drinks a lot.Which one has a problem with alcohol?WHO experts distinguish four forms of alcohol consumption.
- Safe way.This is when a person drinks no more than 210 ml (for men) or 135 ml (for women) of pure alcohol per week.At the same time, the amount of alcohol per day should not exceed safe doses: 40 ml (for men) and 30 ml of ethyl alcohol (for women).
- Dangerous way.This is when a person exceeds safe doses and does not comply with the sobriety regime.
- Doctors warn that with this attitude towards alcoholic beverages, a person runs the risk of becoming addicted to alcohol in the future and contracting one of the diseases associated with excessive consumption of strong drinks (liver cirrhosis, stomach ulcers, anemia, heart failure, etc.) as a “bonus”.
- Consumption with harmful consequences.This is when a person drinks a lot (continuous alcohol consumption for more than 2 days) and feels an irresistible urge to have a hangover.
- But the most characteristic symptom of this form is the loss of control over the amount of drinking.In other words, the person loses their sense of proportion and therefore becomes increasingly drunk.
- The third form of alcohol consumption is not yet considered an addiction, but with it the brain and internal organs of the drinker wear out considerably.
- Alcoholism.This form of alcohol consumption is characterized by a person's persistent reluctance to give up alcohol, even in the name of health problems.
At this stage, the form of intoxication also changes, for example, before the person got drunk, became happy and fell asleep, but now they show aggressive behavior.At the same time, the dose of alcohol drunk in a day increases several times.
How much alcohol can a person drink in a day?
People have different attitudesin relation to alcohol.Some people can't live a day without drinking at least one glass of vodka.Some people drink several times a month and only on special occasions.There are also individuals who react with complete indifference to alcoholic beverages.Is there a safe dose of alcohol?Some doctors assure their patients that they cannot drink more than one dose of alcohol during the week, while others are sure that an amount of alcohol exceeding 60 ml of vodka and 150 ml of wine per month already indicates drunkenness.Scientists have created several different formulas to determine a safe dose of alcohol for the human body.But most narcologists agree that each person has his own purely personal drinking norm, which directly depends on his individual characteristics.The last assumption can be considered the most plausible, because some people can get drunk from a glass of wine, while others are not affected by a bottle of vodka.It is very dangerous for the fairer sex to drink alcohol.A woman quickly gets involved in drinking, and even small doses of alcoholic beverages become addictive for her.By drinking regularly, a woman runs the risk of becoming an alcoholic within 2 years.Men are more tolerant of alcoholic beverages and do not get drunk as quickly - after 10 years.
Doctors conducted numerous studies, and as a result they came to the conclusion: to avoid falling asleep, men of average height can drink up to 250 ml of wine, 500 ml of beer and no more than 50 ml of vodka (or other drink with a concentration of up to 40 degrees) per day.For women, the permitted portion of alcohol per day is smaller: wine - no more than 150 ml, beer - up to 330 ml and vodka - 30 ml.It should be understood that we are talking only about any of the listed alcoholic drinks, and not about all of them at the same time.Scientists believe that these portions are not capable of having a negative impact on human health.If you drink alcohol above the safe limit, hard drinks will gradually and steadily turn you into a true alcoholic.Not only gender is taken into account when calculating the safe level of alcohol for a person.Climatic conditions also play an important role in the process of involvement in alcoholism.It was noticed that in cold regions people get drunk much faster than in areas with a comfortable temperature regime.Another factor that must be taken into account when determining the permitted dose of alcohol is the age of the drinker.The younger the body, the faster it gets drunk, which means it becomes more sensitive to the negative effects of ethyl alcohol.A young man who drinks low-alcohol beer will get drunk faster than a middle-aged man who drinks strong drinks.
It should be understood that alcohol, even in smaller quantities, is contraindicated for pregnant and breastfeeding women, children, teenagers, drivers and people taking medication.According to the WHO, consuming around 8 liters of alcoholic beverages over the course of a year causes irreparable damage to health.At the same time, domestic narcologists note that the average citizen can drink 15-18 liters of alcohol per year, which is already a threatening sign of drunkenness.Why do people in some countries drink more than the legal limit?For most of our compatriots, the concepts of “drinking” and “holiday” are synonymous.Not a single celebration takes place without tables collapsing under the weight of bottles of vodka, cognac and wine.Inviting people to your home and not placing a bottle of alcohol in front of them is considered a sign of indecency.If under normal circumstances a person can control the amount he drinks, during a feast he consciously allows himself to relax and have more fun.
It's no wonder that after the holidays people experience all kinds of chronic illnesses.To comply with the norm, a person needs to clearly determine for himself how much he can drink and not exceed the limit for the day.This is the only way to develop a drinking culture.But it's not just holidays that contribute to the development of alcoholism.Having fallen ill with a viral infection, some people prefer to be treated not with medicines, but with strong drinks.Alcohol really helps to destroy pathogenic microbes, but together with them it slowly and surely destroys the entire body.And those people who, during treatment, combine the consumption of strong drinks with medications do themselves a disservice: even the smallest portions of vodka, cognac or other drinks taken in tablets or mixtures deal a crushing blow to the liver, pancreas and cardiovascular system.Additionally, excessive portions of alcohol contribute to the development of alcohol dependence.In the presence of serious illnesses, alcohol poisoning occurs much faster.A dangerous condition is indicated by very low body temperature (3-4 degrees below normal) and heavy breathing.Typically, within 12 to 36 hours after a large amount of alcohol enters the body, a person's heart stops and death occurs.
How much can you drink in other countries?In foreign countries, a safe dose of alcohol for men is considered to be 30 ml of pure ethyl alcohol per day (this amount is contained in approximately 300 ml of wine, 600 ml of beer or 40 ml of vodka).For foreign women, the permissible alcohol limit is exactly 2 times lower than for the stronger sex.Doctors are sure that if you drink alcoholic beverages in the indicated doses, they will help prevent diseases of the cardiovascular system.In Foggy Albus, the permitted dose of alcohol is 32 ml of pure ethanol for men and 24 ml for women.In another country, an adult man, not afraid of harming his health and drinking himself to death, with a clear conscience can afford to consume alcoholic beverages containing no more than 20 ml of alcohol.For women, this norm is reduced to 10 ml per day.In countries with dark-skinned populations, the permitted serving of alcohol is 24 ml of pure ethanol per day for the male population.
There is an opinion that the dose of alcohol per day recommended by doctors is not only safe, but also very useful, and moderate drinkers live longer than teetotalers.But supporters of the hypothesis warn that only dry red wine can bring benefits;stronger drinks will not bring any benefit to the body.Allowing themselves to drink, they always know their limits and know how to stop in time.These happy people are not afraid of alcoholism.Well, for those who don't know how to control themselves, the only way to avoid dependence on alcoholic beverages is to not listen to stories about safe doses of alcohol and not drink anything.
The Ministry of Health warns: how much alcohol can you drink?
Experts from the Ministry of Health calculated alcohol consumption patterns for men and women, which can be used in the labeling of these products.The State Center for Research in Preventive Medicine of the Ministry of Health calculated safe standards for alcohol consumption, says the newspaper article.The standards define the amount of consumption that corresponds to low, medium and high harm to health.According to calculations by the State Scientific Research Center for Medical Prevention, if a man drinks 1.5 liters of beer with a strength of 4.5 degrees three days a week, the risk will be low.The same dosage for five days will increase the risk to medium, and daily consumption of this amount of frothy drink corresponds to a high risk.Men can drink a 50 ml glass of vodka with low health risks twice a day;While maintaining safety standards, it is best for women to drink one.If this norm is exceeded, the risk will become medium.According to the recommendations of the State Scientific Research Center for Pregnancy and Pregnancy, a woman can drink two glasses (100 ml each) of dry wine with a strength of 13 degrees per day.Or a 150 ml glass of champagne.These doses mean low risk, even if consumed throughout the week.
It is impossible to identify acceptable and unacceptable levels of alcohol consumption, the newspaper quoted the director of the Nation's Narcological Health Institute as saying.“These recommendations or calculations of health risks can be made for each person, taking into account their body weight, the state of the body's systems, the enzymatic apparatus that breaks down alcohol; these points are discussed in the WHO documents”, notes the expert.The head of the Center for National Alcohol Policy Development said it is very difficult for people to control their alcohol consumption at certain levels and stop at the right time based on recommendations.They are not deterred by consequences.“If a person feels good, why would they stop suddenly, then it is worth saying that starting to consume alcohol is already a risk,” said the expert.