Experts Explain What It Means to Drink Moderately
Festive decorations, handmade cookies, nostalgic films, and an abundance of celebratory, alcoholic beverages are all part of the Christmas season. But particularly on the shorter, darker winter days, it’s difficult to resist the urge to open a bottle of wine when the marathon of Christmas gatherings and mingling is finished.
It’s common knowledge that consuming excessive amounts of intoxicating drinks is bad for our health, which is why medical experts often provide this well-worn advice: Drink sparingly. However, what does “moderate drinking” really mean? Is it an intuitive rule or a technical term? This article explains the definition of particular alcohol guidelines and offers advice on how to drink in moderation while still having fun.
The Effects of Alcohol on Your Health
To avoid becoming a buzzkill, there are some short- and long-term ways that alcohol might harm our health. Alcohol generally causes inflammation throughout the body, which is a contributing factor to many chronic illnesses such as past pancreatic sickness, liver disease, heart disease, and several cancers that are connected to long-term, excessive alcohol use.
The intestinal lining and the balance of bacteria that comprise the gut microbiome are both adversely affected by alcohol’s inflammatory effects, which are most noticeable in the gut. Because the microbiome is intimately related to the brain, immunological, gastrointestinal, and many other aspects of health, the effects of alcohol on gut health alone are substantial.
Alcohol may also have a depressive effect on the brain, causing problems with mood, performance, sleep, and thought processes. Over the years, healthcare specialists have issued stricter guidelines on alcohol intake due to these many effects, which led to the creation of the phrases “drinking in moderation” and “drinking responsibly.”
“Drinking in Moderation”: What Does It Mean?
Depending on who you ask, kind of sorta.
National Recommendations and Guidelines
Every five years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) updates and publishes the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which are a set of dietary guidelines for Americans of all ages.
Moderate drinking is defined as one drink or fewer per day for women and two drinks or less per day for males in the 2020–2025 edition.
What Does “One Drink” Mean?
“One ‘standard’ drink (or one alcoholic drink equivalent) contains roughly 14 grams of pure alcohol,” according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This is what it looks like based on the kind of beverage:
- Twelve ounces of ordinary beer, which has an alcohol content of around 5%
- Five ounces of wine, which has an average alcohol content of 12%
- 1.5 ounces of 40% alcohol-based distilled spirits
Many medical practitioners now use these guidelines as the standard definition of “drinking in moderation.”
However, given the information we now have on the negative effects of alcohol on health, several critics of the aforementioned guidelines believe that they are too lenient. For example, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement in January 2023 that there is no safe amount of alcohol. According to them, “risks start from the first drop” and become worse with each further drink. Despite prior studies showing otherwise, a systematic review and meta-analysis released in March 2023 also found that even low to moderate alcohol use did not provide any health advantages.
According to recent advice released by the U.S. Surgeon General on January 3, 2025, alcohol is the “third leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States, after tobacco and obesity, increasing the risk for at least seven types of cancer.”
Suggestions from Nutritionists
Having worked as a certified dietitian for over ten years, I usually suggest something in the middle of the range. That might equate to two, three, or even four drinks per week. But the more cautious, the better!
It’s great if my customers can reach those figures each month, but many people find it to be unattainable, which is OK. It’s crucial to start with little changes toward better habits and meet yourself where you are.
Binge Drinking: What Is It?
Moderate drinking might mean various things to different individuals, but there is a definite boundary for when it crosses into binge drinking. For the sake of our health and safety, we should all try to prevent binge drinking, which is clearly defined.
Binge drinking is described as “a pattern of drinking alcohol that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 percent—or 0.08 grams of alcohol per deciliter—or more” by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. This usually occurs when women have four or more drinks in two hours, or when males have five or more drinks in two hours.
In addition to the acute and chronic problems we mentioned above, binge drinking increases the risk of physical harm, alcohol poisoning, auto accidents, aggression, and other dangerous behaviors. Binge drinking is strongly discouraged as a risky habit for everyone’s health because of all these factors.
How to Moderately Consume Alcohol: Simple Strategies for Cutting Back
Fortunately, there are many strategies to reduce your alcohol consumption to a more manageable level. Here are some helpful hints, techniques, and prompts to help you drink more sensibly and in moderation.
Your Buddy Is Dilution
Diluting your beverages is a terrific technique to stretch a lesser quantity of alcohol if you want to enjoy more than one in a sitting. Simply reduce your hard liquor, cocktail, or wine in half and combine it with either plain or flavored sparkling water, or just filtered water. You may also add fresh fruit juice, depending on the drink and your preferences.
Take One for One
The idea of “one for one,” which involves switching between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, is another popular strategy to promote moderate drinking habits. You may select whatever you want (extra points for anything without added sugar), but it’s common to choose water as their non-alc alternative (hydration boost!).
Tell Your Loved Ones the Truth
It might be difficult to attempt to cut down if your family, friends, or coworkers often enjoy happy hours, evenings out, and other alcohol-centered events. But an open discussion makes a big difference! The majority of individuals will support you and fully appreciate your desire to adopt new drinking habits. You never know, they may even be attempting suicide.
Organize Social Events Around Other Pursuits
In a similar spirit, reorienting your social events to include non-alcoholic activities might help you cut down and relieve the urge to drink. There are many enjoyable activities you may do with your loved ones that don’t need any alcohol at all. The possibilities are many and include organizing a game night, making a meal together, taking in the scenery, and going to the movies.
Establish Measurable, Achievable Objectives
Take out a pen and paper and make a list of specific objectives for yourself if you’re determined to drink less or less often than you usually do. This gives you the chance to make a strategy that works for you and makes you more accountable for achieving those objectives.
Examine Alternatives That Don’t Include Alcohol
The market for spirits with zero proof has flourished because so many individuals are committed to consuming less alcohol for various reasons. Delicious non-alcoholic drink alternatives are available from a wide variety of beverage companies, including Heineken, Little Saints, Ritual Zero Proof Spirits, and Surely Wines.
Choose More Healthful Beverages
Our last piece of advice is to choose healthier beverages when you do drink to help lessen some of the negative effects of alcohol on your health. These healthier choices will often have less added sugars or none at all. (Sugary mixers such as soda, sweetened juices, and simple syrups are often used to add sugar to alcoholic drinks.) Seltzer, sugar-free flavored sparkling drinks, and 100% sugar-free juices (the fresher the better!) would be excellent substitutes for these. When it comes to nutrient-added beverages, this may mean selecting a mixed drink created with nutrient-rich components like fresh vegetable juice or a glass of red wine that is high in resveratrol, an anti-inflammatory plant molecule.
You may choose how you want “drinking in moderation” to seem to you by being aware of the many ways it might appear. In addition to the long-term health benefits of drinking properly, there are also pleasant extra benefits like fewer hangovers and headaches.