What's TODAY'S Acceptable Drinking Limits?

Dietary Guidelines for Alcohol

Based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans set by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture, CSAP has developed the following guidelines on alcohol consumption.

Adults who are considering drinking alcoholic beverages should have only low-risk drinking as a goal, if they choose to drink. The lowest risk is not to drink, which should always be acceptable. Adult women who elect to drink should limit their consumption to no more than one drink per day. Men who elect to drink should limit their consumption to no more than two drinks per day. Underage youth should not drink.

These circumstances place drinkers at high risk for health, social, and/or legal consequences:

If underage;
If pregnant, nursing, or trying to conceive;
If driving or engaging in other activities that require attention, judgment or skill;
If taking medication that interacts with alcohol;
If recovering from alcohol or other drug dependence;
If drinking to intoxication;
If drinking cannot be done in moderation.

Although not specifically addressed by the guideline, alcohol use also is contrindicated for people with certain medical conditions such as peptic ulcer. The existence of spearate guidelines for men and women reflects research findings that women become more intoxicated than men a the equivalent dos of alcohol due to the size of their bodies in relationship to men.

Reference
Dietary Guidelines for Americans, Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Agriculture (1992)