Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states:
Moderate alcohol consumption is defined as no more than one drink per day and two drinks per day for women and men, respectively.
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, “Women absorb and metabolize alcohol differently than men. In general, women have less body water than men of similar body weight, so that women achieve higher concentrations of alcohol in the blood after drinking equivalent amounts of alcohol.”
Harmful alcohol use is defined as ≥ 2 drinks/day or ≥ 7/week in women and ≥ 3 drinks/day or ≥ 14/week in men.
Heavy drinking is defined as ≥ 8 drinks per week for women and ≥ 15 drinks per week for men.
Excessive alcohol use includes heavy drinking, binge drinking, and any alcohol use by people aged < 21 years or pregnant.
Binge drinking is defined as ≥ 4 drinks within about 2 hours for women and ≥ 5 drinks within about 2 hours for men and drinking on an empty stomach.
This information applies to people over 18 years old and who are not sensitive to alcohol:
One who drinks a small amount of alcohol seem to have a lower risk of heart disease than not at all, however one recommends no more than:
If one scores above 5 in AUDIT- C then proceed further (The further assessment: The full version uses ten questions to assess frequency of drinking, dependency indicators and problems related to alcohol use)
A score of 8–15 indicates increasing risk of alcohol misuse
16–19 points to a higher risk of alcohol misuse
If one scores above 20 indicates alcohol dependency.
Scores between 8-19 need to be discussed with a healthcare professional to look at ways to reduce alcohol consumption.
Scores above 20 need to be seen by a Medical Doctor.
Complications /Information to beware of/General tips:
It is advised to have an alcohol free period for two days a week.
One cannot ‘save’ units of alcohol from one day in week and use later.
To keep the health risks associated with alcohol consumption low, men and women should be advised:
That it is safest to drink no more than 14 units per week on a regular basis;
If they are regularly drinking up to 14 units per week, this should be spread evenly over three or more days;
That the single occasion drinking guidance will also apply, as one or two heavy drinking episodes per week increases risk of death from accidents or injuries, as well as the risk of long-term illness. This includes:
Limiting the amount of alcohol consumed on any one occasion;
Drinking slowly and with food, and alternating alcohol with water or soft drinks;
Planning ahead for safety (e.g. how to get home).
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Alcohol can have a range of harmful impacts on a foetus, collectively known as foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
Women who are pregnant or think they could become pregnant should be advised that:
The safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all;
The more alcohol the mother drinks, the greater the risks to the baby;
The risks of harm are likely to be low from drinking small amounts of alcohol before pregnancy is known.
As alcohol can pass from the mother into breastmilk, it is safest for women who are breastfeeding not to drink alcohol.
If they do drink, they should avoid drinking 2–3 hours before breastfeeding, or they should express milk beforehand to give to their baby later.
Immune suppression (alcohol causes dysfunction of immune cells such as neutrophils and anti tumour attacking cells) leading one to be prone to infections i.e. bacterial meningitis
Foetal alcohol syndrome- (when pregnant females drink alcohol causing abnormalities to their baby especially in the first trimester).
Symptoms of baby include:
Small head
Flat face
Small eye opening
Epicanthal folds (skin fold of the upper eyelid covering the inner corner of the eye)
Short nose
Low nasal bridge
Smooth Philtrum (Flat skin surface, with no ridge formation in the central region of the upper lip between the nasal base and upper vermilion border)
Thin upper lip
Underdeveloped jaw
Genital malformations
Heart (cardiac) defects
Infants often experience alcohol addiction withdrawal symptoms , this may include tremors and/or convulsions, irritability, increased muscle tone, muscle and/or whole body spasms, increased respiratory rate, abdominal swelling (distention) and/or vomiting
Joint abnormalities
Alcohol metabolite acetaldehyde- (alcohol is converted to aldehyde in our body which is toxic and cancerous)
Please talk to your healthcare professional (i.e. Medical Doctor/Pharmacist) for further advice
Detailed Information
Please copy and paste any key words from the title: High Alcohol Consumer in the following respective 'Medtick References and/or Sources' to find out more about the disease (this also may include diagnosis tests and generic medical treatments).
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