How Much Is Too Much Alcohol?

One of the reasons an individual succumb to alcohol abuse is because he basically does not know when to stop. In order to give you an idea just how much alcohol you should drink to avoid risking your health and developing alcohol dependence or worse, becoming an alcoholic, consider the following guideline for recommended intake of alcohol in Canada:

• A standard drink contains about 13.6g of alcohol. It could be 5oz of wine, 1.5 oz of spirits or 12oz of regular beer.
• For men: Maximum drink allowed in a day is two (2), which translates to about 27.2g per day and 190g per week
• For Women: maximum of two (2) drinks or 27.2g per day, nine (9) drinks or roughly 122.4g per week. Drinking is not allowed for women who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant.

On the other hand, a person is not allowed to drink if:

• You have a health problem like a mental illness, diabetes, heart disease or liver disorder
• You have a family history of cancer
• You are under-nourished
• You are taking prescription drugs including sleeping pills, painkillers or sedatives
• Your family history revealed alcohol abuse or alcoholism
• You will be operating a heavy machinery
• You will be driving a vehicle (cars, boats and even bicycles)
• You will be engaging in dangerous sports such as flying, skiing, scuba diving swimming and racing
• You were told to avoid drinking for medical and legal reasons
• You are directly responsible for people with you especially babies and children

In order to make sure you stick with these guidelines, you must be able to do the following:

• Monitor the amount of alcohol you consume
• Develop a drinking policy
• Host parties responsibly by reminding guests about maximum drinking guidelines
• Speak with your children regarding alcohol drinking and abuse
• Participate in community programs which encourage responsible drinking

Some people believe drinking alcohol for its health benefits but they are actually misled by such notion. If you must know, alcohol health benefits are applicable only to people aged 40 years old and above and maximum alcohol intake should just be one standard drink every other day. Remember that it is still best to exercise regularly, sleep at least 6 hours a day and follow a healthy diet in order to stay healthy. If you are not able to stop. There are some good alcohol treatment facilities in Alberta that can help you with you addiction.

^{References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recommended_maximum_intake_of_alcoholic_beverages}

^{http://www.camh.net/About_Addiction_Mental_Health/Drug_and_Addiction_Information/low_risk_drinking_guidelines.html}