Drinking reasonable amount of alcohol does not inflict as much harm as wrong and irresponsible drinking. Everyone should know how to enjoy alcohol in such a way as not to pose problems for ourselves, our health and the people around us.
What is considered moderate alcohol consumption?
Moderate alcohol consumption is considered 20 grams of pure alcohol (or two standard drinks) a day for men and 10 grams (or one standard drink) for women. The amount of pure alcohol in a standard drink varies from country to country. According to the World Health Organization, standard drink consists of 10 grams pure alcohol. It corresponds to approximately 250 ml of beer, 100 ml of wine or 30 ml of strong alcoholic drink. It should be noted that each organism is unique and, regardless of the amount of alcohol that has been consumed, it may react differently.
Why children should not drink alcohol?
- Studies have shown that a person who stared to use alcohol as a child or adolescent has a higher risk of developing alcoholism than a person who started to use alcohol as an adult.
- Alcohol use as a child or adolescent leads to faster onset of liver cirrhosis, and cardio-vascular diseases and increases suicide risk.
Why pregnant women are advised to avoid drinking alcohol?
- Studies in Great Britain have shown that pregnant women, who use 1 – 6 units of alcohol a week, risks with giving birth to a baby with significantly lower IQ.
- Alcohol use during pregnancy poses a threat to obtain foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). It means that a child will have mental and physical developmental delay, there will be behavioural disorders, and there is a possibility of facial defects (cleft upper lip or cleft palate) and congenital heart disease.
- Even a rare small dose of alcohol during pregnancy increases the risk that a child will start talking later, it will be more difficult to focus and hyperactivity will be increased.
Why a drunk person should not drive?
Even if alcohol is used in small quantities, it affects driving ability: visual perception changes, it decreases the peripheral vision, the ability to determine the correct distance decreases, level of concentration and ability to quickly react to various situations decreases, it reduces movement coordination, and it slows down reflexes and increases somnolence.
Why you should not make absolute alcohol yourself at home?
- It is illegal to do so. To make alcohol at home, accordingly to the current “Handling of Alcoholic Beverages Law” you must obtain a special permit and the amount of absolute alcohol must not exceed 100 litres per calendar year.
- Acting without preliminary knowledge may lead to obtaining liquids that are hazardous to a person’s health or life.
- There is a risk that even experienced spirits producers, while experimenting with new recipes, may produce a drink that can be fatal to its consumer.
Which types of alcoholic beverages should not be mixed together?
Mixing together different types of alcoholic beverages can cause serious, sometimes irreversible damage to health. Strong drinks should not be used together with a foaming or sparkling beverages (beer, sparkling wine) and liqueurs. Such combinations result in faster rise of blood alcohol content and may cause severe alcohol poisoning.