The Lowdown on Booze: Understanding Your Limits
Let's face it, navigating the world of alcohol can be confusing. Between strange measurements, conflicting advice, and all those numbers on the label, it's easy to feel lost. But worry not, friend! This article is here to clear things up and empower you to make smarter choices about your drinking.
Standard Drinks: Demystifying the Code
First things first, let's tackle those "standard drinks." They might seem like some gobbledygook, but they're actually a super helpful tool. One standard drink is 10g of pure alcohol which is all the adult human liver can process in an hour. It's a universal unit, so no matter what you're sipping on – beer, wine, spirits – the same principle applies. That's why the experts say that “one an hour” is a good rule of thumb for staying safe and sociable if you choose to drink.
STDs... Not those ones!
Speaking of limits, understanding how your body processes alcohol is key. Those numbers on the label don't refer to some mysterious sexually transmitted disease (1.3 STDs, anyone?), but rather Standard Drinks. It's basically telling you how many standard drinks there are in that particular bottle or can. Knowing this helps you keep track of your total intake for the occasion and pace yourself accordingly to make sure you remember the occasion for all the right reasons.
STDs by the Numbers
- A 330ml bottle of 5% beer has 1.3 std drink in it, that’s 1.3 hours’ worth of processing for an adult liver
- A “pint” of cider (5% /500MLS) = 2 standard drinks / 2 hours to process
- A standard glass of wine/flute of sparkling wine or champagne is 150ml – that is 1.5 std drinks or 1.5 hours to process
- A large wine (220ML) = 2.2 standard drinks / 2.2 hours to process
- A 250ml can of 7% RTD – is 1.4 std drinks aka 1.4 hours work for the liver
- A 1.8L jug of 4% beer is 5.7 std drinks or 5.7 hours’ worth of processing
- A double bourbon = 1 standard drink / 1 hour to process
- A mojito = 2 standard drinks / 2 hours to process
Size Matters (When it Comes to Standard Drinks)
Now, you might be wondering, "Does the size of my drink really matter?" The answer is yes, but not in the way you might think. A fancy cocktail glass might hold less liquid than a beer bottle, but that doesn't necessarily mean it packs a smaller alcoholic punch. Making smarter drinking choices start with knowing what a standard drink looks like for your favourite tipple and, spoiler alert …..as you can see above, it’s not always one bottle or glass.
Knowing how much you are drinking and watching the speed at which you drink are key to lasting a social occasion in style. Remember there is no way to speed the liver up. Your liver can only process 1 standard drink (10g of pure alcohol) per hour. So, if you have…
2 STANDARD GLASSES OF WINE AT LUNCH = 2 HOURS TO PROCESS
A DOZEN 5% BEERS ON FRIDAY NIGHT = 15.6 HOURS TO PROCESS
A BOTTLE OF RED SHARED WITH YOUR PARTNER OVER DINNER = 4.15 HOURS TO PROCESS EACH PERSON (TOTAL 8.3 HOURS)
A COUPLE OF CIDERS WITH A FRIEND AFTER WORK = 3 HOURS TO PROCESS
That is why our body and mind are affected by alcohol when we drink. If you drink more than 1 standard drink an hour, your other vital organs, namely your heart, brain and lungs will be called on to support the liver to do its job which is not great for our overall health & wellbeing. If you’re keen to see the journey your body goes on when you drink, check out our Blood Alcohol Simulator here. Please note this is a reference tool only. It should not be used to help you make serious decisions e.g. those linked to driving.
Stop kidding yourself that it was only 1 wine when it was more like 3 standard drinks in the one glass! Here is a quick Standard Drinks guide for you to commit to memory but you might also like to check out our Standard Drink Calculator.
REMEMBER ITS 1:1 – 1 STANDARD DRINK = 1 HOUR TO PROCESS!
To enjoy alcohol safely and sociably, the best thing you can do is to think about the real size of your drinks and the speed at which you drink them. At Alcohol&Me, we call this our SIZE, PACE, SPACE mantra:
SIZE: Get to know the size of your drinks and stop kidding yourself, it was just one wine, when you have ½ a bottle in your glass
PACE: Know your limit and build a plan around this. Think about what’s a good pace for you to stay in the happy, relaxed space all night. Eating well before, during and after drinking will also help, so sip slower and enjoy the conversation!
SPACE: Space your drinks out to last the distance in style. Maybe that is having a glass of water each hour, choosing drinks with a lower alcohol content, having a meal, playing a game of pool or hitting the dance floor without a drink in your hand.
Knowing what a standard drink is for your beverage of choice and that your body can only process 1 standard drink per hour is the key to smarter drinking. Cheers to thinking before drinking!
If you want to practise pouring a standard drink for yourself – check out our interactive pour exercise here otherwise test the true size of your drinks on our Standard Drink Calculator.
Tips for Smarter Drinking
Like most things in life when it comes to standard drinks moderation is the key. To help us understand how much it is reasonable to drink while still looking after our long term health and wellbeing, the official Health New Zealand guidelines suggests the following:
- Women – should have no more than 2x standard drinks a day and should drink a maximum of 5 days a week (i.e. have 2x alcohol free days a week). Total 10 standard drinks a week
- Men – should have no more than 3x standard drinks a day and should drink a maximum of 5 days a week (i.e. also having 2x alcohol free days a week). Total 15 standard drinks a week
Anything more than 10 (for female) / 15 (for male) is considered “heavy drinking”.
Just quickly, for those of you sitting there patting yourself on the back right now for only drinking 1 or 2 nights a week – please note, that if even if you only drink 1 night a week but consume more than the 10/15 recommendation, you will still be considered a heavy drinker and that is when the serious health side effects of alcohol kick in. These guidelines are designed to help people establish healthy habits for their lifetime. If you overdo it a bit one day, don’t fret – it’s never too late to make a positive change!
For more tips and practical advice check out our fun, interactive ‘Your Drink’ quiz or have a read of some of our other helpful articles here.
The Takeaway: Knowledge is Power
To get the full lowdown on alcohol and how it affects your body, you can check out our four highly informative, practical online quizzes here, but a pretty good indicator that you’ve had more to drink than your body can handle, is when you start saying or doing things you wouldn’t normally do.
