How Many Drinks Are You Really Drinking?
For many people, it’s unclear what actually counts as one serving of alcohol.
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Even the most conscientious social drinker can lose sight of the servings of alcohol they imbibe. An overwhelming majority of Americans report drinking alcohol at some point in their lifetime, but many don’t have clarity on how many servings of alcohol they typically consume. Here’s how to determine just how many servings of alcohol you’re actually sipping on.
How Much Alcohol Should You Drink?
The U.S. Dietary Guidelines provides recommendations for moderate alcohol consumption. While the guidelines do not encourage people who do not drink to start consuming alcohol, they provide guidance on drinking responsibly for those who choose to include alcohol in their diets. Men are advised to consume no more than two drinks per day; the recommendation for women is no more than one drink per day. The guidelines also say that drinking less is always better for health than drinking more.
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What Counts as One “Drink?”
Much like servings for water and coffee, the size needs to be quantified for recommendations to make sense. There are defined specifications for servings of alcohol, based on volume and alcohol content. Percent alcohol by volume indicates the amount of pure alcohol (ethanol) present in the beverage. A typical 12-fluid ounce serving of beer that is five-percent alcohol is considered “one drink” but some craft beers with higher alcohol content will count as more than one. The standard drink servings are as follows:
- 5 fluid ounces of (17-percent ABV) table wine
- 8 fluid ounces of (7-percent ABV) malt liquor
- 12 fluid ounces of (5-percent ABV) regular beer
- 12 fluid ounces of (4.5-percent ABV) hard seltzer
- 1.5 fluid ounces of (40-percent ABV) distilled spirits (e.g. gin, vodka, rum, tequila, whiskey)
- 2 to 3 fluid ounces of cordial, liqueur or aperitif
Servings of different types of alcohol have different caloric values and this does not include the additional calories from mixers like juice and soda. One serving of beer has about 150 calories, one serving of wine averages 120 calories, and that one shot of a distilled spirit contains 100 to 120 calories. The type of alcoholic beverage you choose may indicate more than just a flavor preference. There is data to support that drinking is correlated with bad diet choices (think late night pizza orders and greasy bar food) but there may be more to it than just ordering junk food after a night of drinking. According to a newly published study, beer-only drinkers have lower-quality diets, get less physical activity and are more likely to smoke compared to other types of drinkers.
They may be served in one fancy glass, but many mixed drinks and cocktails contain several drinks’ worth of alcohol. For example, a 16-ounce pint glass of beer (5-percent ABV) is equal to 1.3 drinks. An espresso martini made with vodka and coffee liquor is equal to 1.7 drinks. After a few rounds, this can begin to stack up.
How To Calculate How Many Servings of Alcohol Are in Your Drink
Increasing awareness of how much alcohol you are consuming in your beverages of choice is an important piece of responsible alcohol consumption. Visit the Rethink Drinking website from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to get more facts about serving sizes and alcohol content of various alcoholic beverages – you can even crunch the numbers on your own cocktails.
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