Beer, wine, hard liquor( distilled spirits) all contain alcohol. The following common alcoholic drinks contain equal amounts of alcohol and are often referred to as a drink or a standard drink:
• One mixed drink containing 1.5 fl oz( 44mL) of 80-proof hard liquor, such as gin, whiskey, or rum.
• One 5 fl oz( 148 mL) glass of wine.
• One 12 fl oz( 355 mL) bottle of beer or wine cooler.
Proof is the amount of alcohol in hard liquor or distilled spirits. The percentage of pure alcohol in the hard liquor is usually one- half the proof. For example, a 100-proof liquor is about 50 % pure alcohol. Thus, the higher the proof, the purer alcohol the hard liquor contains.
Blood Alcohol Content
Your BAC( Blood Alcohol Content) is the percentage of your blood volume that is alcohol. The more you drink, the more your BAC increases. As BAC increases, alcohol’ s effects become less pleasant and more dangerous. The rate at which a person’ s BAC rises varies depending on:
• The number of drinks consumed( The more consumed, the higher the BAC)
• How quickly drinks are consumed( Alcohol consumed more quickly raises the BAC higher than when drinks are consumed over a longer period of time)
• Your gender( Women generally have less water weight and more body fat per pound than men. Because alcohol doesn’ t go into fat cells as easily, more alcohol remains in a women’ s body.)
• Your weight( More weight = more water; water dilutes alcohol and lowers the BAC)
• Food in your stomach( Food slows down alcohol absorption. What’ s the best to eat? Protein! It takes the longest to digest)
Binge Drinking Binge drinking is a pattern of excessive alcohol use that increases a person’ s blood alcohol content very rapidly. This typically happens when men consume 5 or more drinks, and when women consume 4 or more drinks, in about 2 hours.
• About 90 % of the alcohol consumed by U. S. youth under the age of 21 is in the form of binge drinking.
Binge drinking is associated with many health problems, including but not limited to:
• Unintentional injuries( e. g., car crashes, falls, burns, drowning)
• Alcohol poisoning
• Unsafe sex and sexually transmitted diseases
• Unintended pregnancy
• Sexual dysfunction
• High blood pressure, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases
• Liver disease
• Neurological damage
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