The World Health Organization has raised the bar for a safe dose of alcohol.Now, according to WHO recommendations, published recently, a healthy person can drink up to 10 liters of pure alcohol per year without harming his health.Women are entitled to a third less.This WHO bounty is equivalent to around one bottle of vodka per week.But our narcologists are more conservative;they still adhere to 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 are insisting on changing the traditional principles of helping people with alcohol problems established in Soviet times.
"More than 8 liters of pure alcohol per person per year is the extinction of a nation," says the head of the Department of Psychotherapy of the National Science Center on Narcology Prof. — We currently consume 15.1 liters.We are in the negative peak.Increased alcohol consumption does not arise out of nowhere - it is an attempt to relieve stress, to some extent escape from reality and solve some psychological problems.This partially works: after drinking, the imprisoned person is freed, his mood improves and problems remain in the background.But still, this is a psychological trap and a pseudo-solution to problems.Man pays too high a price for this.Pays with pathology of the liver, heart, brain.In addition, 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 14-28 drinks per week for men and 7-14 drinks per week for women.Moreover, this norm is conditional: for some people, for example, with unfavorable heredity, the risk of health deterioration occurs when drinking very small amounts of alcohol.
How to drink properly?
They often say: abroad they eat with a drink, and here they drink with a snack.The main principle should be - the less, the better.And, of course, the drinks must be of high quality.It is better to give preference to dry - not fortified or dessert - wines.Vodka, cognac and other strong drinks, if they get into the stomach, can cause a condition close to burning the mucous membrane, so it is better to dilute highly resistant drinks.If we stretch a diluted drink (it can be wine) throughout the evening, then the total dose of pure alcohol will be small and the harm to health will be minimized.Since the oxidation of alcohol in the body requires increased consumption of vitamins, it is recommended to take multivitamins, and the table should include vegetables, greens and fruits.
How healthy is dry red wine?
No really convincing evidence has yet been obtained for the benefits of moderate alcohol consumption, including dry wines.But many experts believe that the dose of pure alcohol, not the type of drink, is of primary importance in its ability to relieve stress.Therefore, it is better to drink less, but better.
What amount of alcohol is considered safe?
According to the recommendations of the same WHO, men should consume no 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 this is provided that the person does not drink a drop of alcohol 2 days a week.
When does addiction start?
Few people dare to admit that they are addicted to alcohol.Most people consider themselves to be light drinkers, but one person may drink a bottle of beer a day, but every day, while another drinks rarely but drinks a lot.Which one has a problem with alcohol?WHO experts distinguish four forms of alcohol consumption.
- Safe form.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 form.This is when a person exceeds safe doses and does not follow the sobriety regime.
- Doctors warn that with such an attitude to alcoholic beverages, a person risks becoming addicted to alcohol in the future and receiving as a "bonus" one of the diseases associated with excessive consumption of strong drinks (cirrhosis of the liver, stomach ulcers, anemia, heart failure, etc.).
- Consumption with harmful consequences.This is when a person drinks a lot (continuous consumption of alcohol for more than 2 days) and feels an overwhelming urge to hangover.
- But the most characteristic symptom of this form is the loss of control over the amount of drinking.That is, a person loses his sense of proportion and therefore gets drunk more and more often.
- The third form of drinking alcoholic beverages is not yet considered an addiction, but with it, the brain and internal organs of the drinker wear out significantly.
- Alcoholism.This form of alcohol consumption is characterized by a person's constant reluctance to give up alcohol, even in the name of poor health.
At this stage, the form of intoxication also changes, for example, before a person gets drunk, becomes cheerful and falls asleep, but now he has an aggressive form of behavior.At the same time, the dose of alcohol consumed in one day increases several times.
How much alcohol can a person drink per day?
people have different attitudes towards alcohol.Some people can't go 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 people who react completely indifferently to alcoholic beverages.Is there a safe dose of alcohol?Some doctors assure their patients that they can drink no more than one dose of alcohol during the week, while others are confident that the amount of alcohol exceeding 60 ml of vodka and 150 ml of wine per month already indicates drunkenness.Scientists have even come up with many different formulas to determine the safe dose of alcohol for the human body.But most narcologists agree that each person has his own purely personal norm for drinking, which directly depends on his individual characteristics.The last assumption can be called 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 most dangerous for the weaker sex to drink alcohol.A woman very quickly begins to drink, and even small doses of alcoholic beverages become addictive to her.If she drinks regularly, a woman risks becoming an alcoholic within 2 years.Men are more tolerant of alcoholic beverages and do not get drunk as quickly - after 10 years.
Doctors have conducted numerous studies, as a result of which they came to the conclusion: in order not to fall asleep, men of average build can drink up to 250 ml of wine, 500 ml of beer and no more than 50 ml of vodka (or any other drink with a strength of up to 40 degrees) per day.For women, the permissible 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 about only one of the listed alcoholic beverages, and not all of them at once.Scientists believe that these portions cannot have a negative impact on human health.If you drink alcohol above the safe limit, then strong drinks will gradually and inexorably turn you into a true alcoholic.When calculating the safe level of alcohol for an individual, not only gender is taken into account.Climatic conditions also play an important role in the process of attraction to alcoholism.It has been noticed that in cold regions people get drunk much faster than in regions with a comfortable temperature regime.Another factor to consider when determining the acceptable dose of alcohol is the age of the drinker.The younger the body, the faster it gets drunk, which means it is more sensitive to the negative effects of ethyl alcohol.A young man drinking a low-alcohol beer will get drunk faster than a middle-aged man drinking strong drinks.
It should be understood that alcohol, even in the smallest quantities, is contraindicated for pregnant and lactating women, children, adolescents, drivers and people taking any medication.According to the WHO, drinking about 8 liters of alcoholic beverages in a year causes irreparable harm to health.At the same time, local narcologists note that the average citizen can drink from 15 to 18 liters of alcohol per year, and this 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.No celebration is complete without tables sagging from the weight of bottles of vodka, cognac and wine.It is considered rude to invite guests into your home and not place a bottle of alcohol in front of them.If under normal circumstances a person is able to control the amount he drinks, then during a feast he consciously allows himself to relax and enjoy himself more.
It is not for nothing that after the holidays people experience all kinds of chronic diseases.In order to comply with the norm, a person must clearly determine for himself how much he can drink and not exceed his limit for the day.That's the only way a drinking culture develops.But not only holidays contribute to the development of alcoholism.After getting sick with a viral infection, some people prefer to treat themselves not with drugs, but with strong drinks.Alcohol does help to destroy pathogenic microbes, but together with them it slowly and surely destroys the whole organism.And those people who, during treatment, combine drinking strong drinks with drugs, do themselves a disservice: even the smallest portions of vodka, cognac or other drinks taken in tablets or mixtures inflict a crushing blow on the liver, pancreas and cardiovascular system.In addition, excessive portions of alcohol contribute to the development of alcohol dependence.In the presence of serious diseases, alcohol poisoning occurs much faster.Very low body temperature (3-4 degrees below normal) and heavy breathing indicate a dangerous condition.Usually within 12-36 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 limit of alcohol is exactly 2 times lower than for the representatives of the stronger sex.Doctors are confident that if you drink alcoholic beverages in the indicated doses, they will help prevent diseases of the cardiovascular system.For hazy 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, without fear of harming his health and getting drunk to death, can in good conscience allow himself to drink alcoholic beverages containing no more than 20 ml of alcohol.For women, this rate is reduced to 10 ml per day.In countries with a dark-skinned population, the permissible portion of alcohol is 24 ml of pure ethanol per day for the male population.
There is an opinion that the dose of alcohol recommended by doctors per day is not only safe, but also very useful, and moderate drinkers live longer than abstainers.But proponents of the hypothesis caution that only dry red wine may provide benefits;stronger drinks will not bring any benefit to the body.Allowing themselves to drink, they always know their limit and know how to stop in time.These happy people are not afraid of alcoholism.Well, for those who do not 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 at all.
The Ministry of Health warns: how much alcohol can you drink?
Specialists from the Ministry of Health have calculated the norms of alcohol consumption for men and women, which can be used in the labeling of these products.The State Research Center for Preventive Medicine at the Ministry of Health has calculated safe standards for alcohol consumption, the newspaper article said.The standards define the amount of drinking that corresponds to low, medium and high harm to health.According to the calculations of the State Research Center for Medical Prevention, if a person drinks 1.5 liters of beer with a strength of 4.5 degrees three days a week, then the risk will be low.The same dose for five days will increase the risk to medium, and daily consumption of this amount of fizzy drink corresponds to a high risk.Men can drink a 50 ml glass of vodka with low health risks twice a day;under safety standards, it is better for women to drink one each.If this norm is exceeded, the risk will become medium.According to the recommendations of the State Scientific 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 a low risk even if consumed throughout the week.
It is impossible to identify acceptable and unacceptable levels of alcohol consumption, the paper quoted the director of the nation's Addiction Health Institute as saying."Such recommendations or calculations of health risks can be made for each individual person, taking into account his body weight, the state of the body's systems, the enzyme apparatus that breaks down alcohol; these points are discussed in WHO documents," notes the expert.The head of the National Alcohol Policy Development Center said it was quite difficult for people to control their drinking at certain levels and stop at the right time based on recommendations.They are not deterred by the consequences."If a person feels good, then why will he suddenly stop, so it is worth saying that starting alcohol is already a risk," said the expert.