General Drinking Guidelines

The concentration of alcohol in your body - known as the 'blood alcohol concentration' (BAC) - depends on several factors: your gender (male or female), how much you have drunk; how long you have been drinking; whether or not you have eaten; and your size and weight.

Because your body starts to breakdown alcohol almost as soon as you start to drink, it is difficult to tell exactly how much alcohol is in your bloodstream at any one moment in time, or what effect it may have.

What we do know, is that it takes a healthy liver about 2 to 3 hours to breakdown and remove approximately 1 standard alcohol drink - equivalent to 14g of pure alcohol. The following all contain the same amount of alcohol:

So, if you drink 1 standard glass of beer, wine or spirits, you will still have some alcohol in your bloodstream as much as 2 to 3 hours later. If you drink heavily in the evening, you may still be over the legal limit the following morning.

Many people have experienced being "drunk" on one or more occasions - most of them are not alcoholics: people who are physically addicted to alcohol. Even so, intoxication is never completely safe or risk free and should be avoided. Remember: while sensible alcohol consumption can be associated with better health, alcohol abuse can seriously damage your health.

What are 'sensible' alcohol consumption levels? The U.S. Government Dietary Guidelines provide that men who choose to drink should limit consumption to "moderate "drinking, which is defined by the U.S. Government as 2 drinks a day for men and 1 drink a day for women. Men or women who consistently drink more than these recommended levels increase the risks to their health.