Alcohol in moderation: How many drinks is that? (2024)

Alcohol use: Weighing risks and benefits

Drinking alcohol is a health risk regardless of the amount.

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Research on alcohol suggests a sobering conclusion: Drinking alcohol in any amount carries a health risk. While the risk is low for moderate intake, the risk goes up as the amount you drink goes up.

Many people drink alcohol as a personal preference, during social activities, or as a part of cultural and religious practices. People who choose not to drink make that choice for the same reasons. Knowing your personal risk based on your habits can help you make the best decision for you.

The evidence for moderate alcohol use in healthy adults is still being studied. But good evidence shows that drinking high amounts of alcohol are clearly linked to health problems.

Here's a closer look at alcohol and health.

Defining moderate alcohol use

Moderate alcohol use may not mean the same thing in research studies or among health agencies.

In the United States, moderate drinking for healthy adults is different for men and women. It means on days when a person does drink, women do not have more than one drink and men do not have more than two drinks.

Examples of one drink include:

12 fluid ounces (355 milliliters) of regular beer
5 fluid ounces (148 milliliters) of wine
1.5 fluid ounces (44 milliliters) of hard liquor or distilled spirits

Health agencies outside the U.S. may define one drink differently.

Risks of moderate alcohol use

The bottom line is that alcohol is potentially addictive, can cause intoxication, and contributes to health problems and preventable deaths. If you already drink at low levels and continue to drink, risks for these issues appear to be low. But the risk is not zero.

For example, any amount of drinking increases the risk of breast cancer and colorectal cancer. As consumption goes up, the risk goes up for these cancers. It is a tiny, but real, increased risk.

Drinking also adds calories that can contribute to weight gain. And drinking raises the risk of problems in the digestive system.

In the past, moderate drinking was thought to be linked with a lower risk of dying from heart disease and possibly diabetes. After more analysis of the research, that doesn't seem to be the case. In general, a healthy diet and physical activity have much greater health benefits than alcohol and have been more extensively studied.

Risks of heavy alcohol use

Heavy drinking, including binge drinking, is a high-risk activity.

The definition of heavy drinking is based on a person's sex. For women, more than three drinks on any day or more than seven drinks a week is heavy drinking. For men, heavy drinking means more than four drinks on any day or more than 14 drinks a week.

Binge drinking is behavior that raises blood alcohol levels to 0.08%. That usually means four or more drinks within two hours for women and five or more drinks within two hours for men.

Heavy drinking can increase your risk of serious health problems, including:

Certain cancers, such as colorectal cancer, breast cancer and cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus and liver.
Liver disease.
Cardiovascular disease, such as high blood pressure and stroke.

Heavy drinking also has been linked to intentional injuries, such as suicide, as well as accidental injury and death.

During pregnancy, drinking may cause the unborn baby to have brain damage and other problems. Heavy drinking also may result in alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

When to avoid alcohol

In some situations, the risk of drinking any amount of alcohol is high. Avoid all alcohol if you:

Are trying to get pregnant or are pregnant.
Take medicine that has side effects if you drink alcohol.
Have alcohol use disorder.
Have medical issues that alcohol can worsen.

In the United States, people younger than age 21 are not legally able to drink alcohol.

When taking care of children, avoid alcohol. And the same goes for driving or if you need to be alert and able to react to changing situations.

Deciding about drinking

Lots of activities affect your health. Some are riskier than others. When it comes to alcohol, if you don't drink, don't start for health reasons.

Drinking moderately if you're otherwise healthy may be a risk you're willing to take. But heavy drinking carries a much higher risk even for those without other health concerns. Be sure to ask your healthcare professional about what's right for your health and safety.

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Jan. 20, 2024

Rethinking drinking: Alcohol and your health. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. https://www.rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/. Accessed Jan. 8, 2024.
2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov. Accessed Jan. 8, 2024.
Scientific Report of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Alcoholic beverages. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/2020-advisory-committee-report. Accessed Jan. 8, 2024.
Canada's guidance on alcohol and health. Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction. https://www.ccsa.ca/canadas-guidance-alcohol-and-health. Accessed Jan. 9, 2024.
Science around moderate alcohol consumption. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/moderate-drinking.htm. Accessed Jan. 9, 2024.
Alcohol use and your health. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm. Accessed Jan. 9, 2024.

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FAQs

Alcohol in moderation: How many drinks is that? ›

Moderation is defined as no more than one drink per day for women and no more than two drinks per day for men.

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How many drinks is drinking in moderation? ›

A moderate amount of alcohol means: 1 drink or less in a day for women. 2 drinks or less in a day for men.

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What is considered moderation? ›

In fact, the phrase "in moderation" is defined as "in a way that is reasonable and not excessive." Since this term is up for interpretation, you have the freedom to decide what a moderate diet looks like.

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How to figure out whether moderate alcohol? ›

If you drink alcoholic beverages, you should not exceed 2 drinks per day if you are a man or 1 drink per day if you are a woman. This is what is considered moderate drinking. (Alcohol affects women very differently from men, learn more here).

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Is it OK to have 4 drinks a day? ›

What is heavy drinking? The patterns below are considered “heavy” drinking,¹⁶^,¹⁷ which markedly increases the likelihood of AUD and other alcohol-related harms: For women—4 or more drinks on any day or 8 or more per week. For men—5 or more drinks on any day or 15 or more per week.

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Is 3 standard drinks a day ok? ›

If you're a healthy adult: To reduce the risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury, healthy men and women should drink no more than 10 standard drinks a week and no more than 4 standard drinks on any one day.

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How much is considered moderation? ›

According to the "Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025,” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture , adults of legal drinking age can choose not to drink or to drink in moderation by limiting intake to 2 drinks or less in a day for men and 1 drink or less in a day for women, ...

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How much alcohol is safe to drink daily? ›

The risks and harms associated with drinking alcohol have been systematically evaluated over the years and are well documented. The World Health Organization has now published a statement in The Lancet Public Health: when it comes to alcohol consumption, there is no safe amount that does not affect health.

Keep Reading ›

Is 4 beers a day too much? ›

And while moderate drinking might lower your risk of dementia, heavy beer drinking puts you at risk for early dementia. In summary, if you're wondering how many beers a day is safe, the answer for most people is one to two.

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Is 2 beers a day bad? ›

Drinking one or two standard beers per day (12 ounces or 355 mL) may have positive effects for your heart, bones, blood sugars, and dementia risk. But too much drinking raises your risk of many health issues, including depression, weight gain, and liver disease.

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How many drinks a week is allowed? ›

Here are the recommended drink limits: One standard drink is equivalent to: Female: No more than 1 drink in a single day and no more than 7 drinks per week. Male: No more than 2 drinks in a single day and no more than 14 drinks per week.

What is the 1 2 3 drinking rule? ›

ONE - consume no more than one standard * drink per hour. TWO - consume no more than two standard * drinks per occasion. THREE - never exceed three standard drinks per occasion.