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Safety Guidelines for Adult Alcohol Use

Know the Health Risks
of Alcohol Consumption

  • Short- and long-term alcohol-related health harms increase as alcohol consumption increase
  • For some conditions, like some cancers, the risk increases even at very low levels of alcohol consumption (less than 1 drink)

Know the Risks of Binge Drinking

Binge drinking is when a person drinks an excessive amount of alcohol in a very short amount of time. Binge drinking for men is consuming five or more drinks in about two hours, and for women, it’s four drinks.

The CDC says that binge drinking is the most common, costly, and deadly pattern of excessive alcohol use in the United States. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 26.9 percent of people aged 18 and older participate in binge drinking. However, most people who binge drink are not alcohol dependent, meaning that they don’t typically need to consume alcohol in order to function on a day-to-day basis.1

Know Who Shouldn’t
Drink Alcohol at All

  • Women who are or may be pregnant
  • People younger than age 21
  • People who have certain medical conditions or are taking certain medications that can interact with alcohol
  • Recovering alcoholics or people unable to control the amount they drink
  • People who are doing things that require skill, coordination, and alertness, such as driving a car
  • The guidelines also state that women who are breastfeeding should talk with their health care provider about alcohol consumption

Know the Recommended Guidelines
for Moderation of Alcohol Use

2015-2020 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that if alcohol is consumed, it should be consumed in moderation.

  • The guidelines define moderation as up to one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men and only by adults of legal drinking age
  • This is not intended as an average over several days, but rather the amount consumed on any single day
  • The guidelines also do not recommend that individuals who do not drink alcohol start drinking for any reason2

Need help with addiction?

Know More
1 “What Is Binge Drinking?” The Discovery House, www.thediscoveryhouse.com/addictions/alcohol-addiction-treatment.
2 CDC. “Dietary Guidelines for Alcohol.” Division of Population Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 29 Dec. 2020, www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/moderate-drinking.htm#:~:text=To%20reduce%20the%20risk%20of,adults%20of%20legal%20drinking%20age