Is Drinking In Moderation Good Or Bad For You?
Jim Butler, a Houston DWI lawyer, deals with drinking and the consequences of its abuse daily, but the question begs to be asked; can drinking be healthy? Consuming alcohol in excess is bad when it comes to your health, and this has been proven time and time again. Alcohol is not dangerous by itself but abusing alcoholic drinks can result in serious health issues which include diseases of the liver.
The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) states that moderate drinking is drinking alcohol for enjoyment and not to become drunk. To this institution, moderate drinking is defined as 4 glasses in men and 3 glasses in women in a day. The maximum drink number in a week should not exceed 7 glasses for women and 14 glasses for men.
According to certain reports, moderate drinking is linked with a few health benefits. In fact, there are numerous reports that support and confirm this. Research indicates that women start to get drunk along with experiencing alcohol-related issues at a lower consumption level when compared to men.
The main reasons behind this theory Are:
- Women have water levels that are lower in comparison to men, pound-for-pound.
- Women typically weigh less in comparison to males. Research has gone on to prove that thresholds for the consumption of alcohol are linked closely to body weight. This means that females have lower tissue levels in order to absorb the alcohol that they drink.
- Females also have lower AHD (alcohol dehydrogenase) levels when compared to males. AHD is the chemical that is produced inside the liver in order to break down alcohol. For this reason, alcohol will remain in the system of a woman for longer and build up faster.
- Hormones are also a factor. Hormones are responsible for making females a lot more susceptible when it comes to alcohol effects. Research indicates that blood-alcohol levels will be at the highest before menstruation or the lowest one day after a woman has finished menstruating. The issue with this type of research is that it is still limited.
- The typical female body will absorb about 30% more alcohol in comparison to men (when drinking alcohol in the same amounts). This is information that the OADE (Office of Alcohol and Drug Education) at Notre Dame University, IN provided.
Alcohol Levels
When looking for ways to moderate alcohol intake on a certain day, you need to know about the alcohol number in each drink that you are consuming.
The NIAAA, states you can categorize a single drink as:
- 8 to 9 fl oz of malt liquor at about 7% alcohol
- 12 fl ounces for a normal beer at about 5% alcohol
- 1.5 fl oz for distilled spirits like gin, tequila, or vodka
- 5 fluid ounces for table wine at about 12% alcohol
A standard drink in the U.S. contains around 14 gms of pure-alcohol.
There are numerous studies that mention the benefits associated with consuming alcohol in moderation, the problem comes when people drink too much or attempt to make it home while intoxicated. This is when most people start needing a good Houston DWI lawyer. However, some of these researchers have started to contradict one another. For example, some of the research suggests that an intake of moderate alcohol is good for your heart, while other research states that it can cause liver diseases, mental illnesses, heart problems, and cancer. Usually, when research is attempting to discourage drinking alcohol, they will be referring to excessive drinking, alcoholism, and alcohol abuse.
The potential benefits associated with regular and moderate intake of alcohol include:
- Stroke: Light or moderate alcohol consumption might lower stroke risks in women, which appeared in a published paper in a journal called Stroke. The research included data that was self-reported about drinking habits in 83, 578 female participants. There is a study that has linked one component found in red wine that may protect the brain from stroke damage.
Visit our blog for more related articles. We also invite you to contact or call us today if you are in need of the best DWI Lawyer in Houston. Click here to continue to the second article of this post.