What is a Standard Drink?

A standard drink has the same amount of alcohol no matter which type of drink you have. It is equal to about 0.6 oz of alcohol per drink.
12 ounces of Domestic Beer= 10 ounces of Ice Beer or Malt Liquor= 8 ounces of High Gravity/High Octane= 1.5 ounces of 80 proof liquor = 5 ounces of wine = 10 ounces of wine cooler.

 

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Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) information

Please note, these are only approximations!

BAC Chart for Men

 

BAC Chart for Women

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Factors That Can Affect Alcohol Processing/Absorption

Weight
The weight of a person greatly affects the distribution of alcohol throughout the body. The smaller the person, the less room for alcohol to distribute itself.

Other drugs or medications in the system
Alcohol is a depressant. Any illegal, prescription or over the counter drug is likely to react with alcohol and may increase intoxication or negative effects. Tip: Never take acetamenaphen (Tylenol) while drinking or the morning after drinking.

Rate of Consumption
Your body will only process about one drink of alcohol per hour. Chugging, doing shots or playing drinking games increases consumption rates of alcohol.

Food in the stomach
Your stomach lining absorbs alcohol directly into your blood stream. Food slows down that absorption of alcohol. Tip: Always eat before and while drinking.

Type of Drink
Diluting alcohol with water or juices reduces the volume of alcohol your blood stream. Drinking straight alcohol or alcohol mixed with carbonated beverages speeds up absorption. Tip: Avoid stimulus drinks such as Red Bull or Rock Star.

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Gender

Women are typically smaller, have more body fat, and therefore less water and muscle in their bodies than men. These factors contribute to equal doses of alcohol producing higher BAC levels in women's bodies. Alcohol dehydrogenase is a metabolizing enzyme that helps the body get alcohol out of its system. Women have less of this enzyme than men, so more of what women drink enters the bloodstream as pure alcohol. Hormones also affect how alcohol is processed; women get drunk quicker when they drink a week before their menstrual cycle. Female alcoholics also have death rates 50 to 100 percent higher than those of male alcoholics and alcohol takes a greater physical toll on women’s as well.  Remember, this is not an issue of equality, but one of health! To learn more about this important issue, visit Women and Alcohol

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Your Appearance - According to researchers, drinking more than one or two drinks a week promotes aging. When you abuse alcohol, you tend to be undernourished, causing dry hair, giving you cracked lips, aggravating acne, making your eyes look glassy, and giving your skin a puffy, broken vein look.

Your Brain - Alcohol is a depressant that slows brain activity down. While one or two drinks makes most people feel relaxed, more alcohol may cause feelings of anxiety, depression, and often aggression. Alcohol’s first effect as it reaches the outer brain is to distort your judgment and lower your inhibition, while producing euphoria (a sense of pleasure). As you consume more alcohol, and it reaches the cerebellum, your coordination and perception are affected, and you can have memory blackouts. As the alcohol reaches your mid-brain, reflexes diminish, you experience confusion, stupor, and may lapse into a coma. Once the alcohol finally reaches the medulla, or inner core of the brain, your heart rate drops and breathing ceases, resulting in death. Research suggests that continued alcohol use can cause depression. Alcohol robs brain cells of water and glucose, the brain’s food, contributing to a hangover the next day.

Your Gastrointestinal Tract - The stomach is irritated by alcohol, causing increased stomach acid production, causing heartburn and eventually ulcers. Alcohol use is linked to cancer of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, and intestines. The liver, due to it’s role in breaking down alcohol, suffers the most damage. Alcohol use leads to destruction of liver cells, fat accumulation around the liver, and cirrhosis which is a fatal condition. Alcohol is also a diuretic, which causes the kidneys to increase urinary output, contributing to dehydration and your hangover.

Your Reproductive System - Although the research here is new, it is known that alcohol decreases the male hormone testosterone. Long-term use causes not only decreased function, but also negatively impacts size. The use of alcohol in men and women causes increased sexual desire, but decreased performance. Alcohol is toxic to unborn children causing permanent tissue and organ damage.

Other - Alcohol depresses the body’s immune system making it easier to get sick. It also disrupts your sleep patterns, further depressing the immune system. Alcohol has been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease, constipation, and strokes.

*The above description of the physiological effects of alcohol is available at:  http://www.radford.edu/~kcastleb/affect.html

Nutrition Value 
Alcohol supplies calories but few nutrients, these calories are known as EMPTY calories.
Drinking in excess may lead to serious health risks and puts you in danger of malnutrition. Drinking mixed drinks can increase your calorie intake anywhere from 150 to 400 calories a drink!!

Are you interested in calculating the calories you consume in a night out? Maybe you’d rather know how much money you’re spending on alcohol.

To get a comprehensive report about many factors related to your own individual alcohol usage, risk, and influences, Take the e-CHUG. It will not only give you the caloric consumption and cost associated with your individual alcohol use, but will also provide much more information that is specific to you, your drinking  habits, your genetic influences, etc.

 

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