o you’re having your first drink – congrats! There’s a whole world of awesome drinks and cocktails out there to explore, but it’s important to be safe and responsible about it. Trust us, drinking is much more fun when you can remember it the next day. To make sure you’re completely ready for your first time drinking, we’ll be going over the following:
- How much alcohol “a drink” is (and why it’s not that simple)
- What to consider when drinking
- The effects of binge drinking over time
Now let's get started! First off...
How Much Alcohol Is In “A Drink”?
Well, The Short Answer Is, “It Depends”
According to the CDC, a “standard” drink has 0.6 oz of pure alcohol. However, not all alcohol is made equal. If you look on any bottle or can of alcohol, you’ll see the abbreviation “ABV” – (percent of) alcohol by volume. There are sites that can help you calculate how many standard drinks are in your can or bottle, but as a rule of thumb:
Beer
Generally speaking, for a regular beer, one 12 oz can with 5% ABV is equivalent to one standard drink. However, not all beers are 5% ABV – I love a good Corona, but because Corona mainly produces pale lagers, their drinks tend to hover around 4-4.6% ABV, making each 12 oz can a little less than a standard drink. On the flip side, craft beers (such as stouts and IPAs), can contain upwards of 10% ABV, meaning that drinking a 12 oz can or bottle would be equivalent to two standard drinks.
Malt Liquor
Malt liquor is similar to beer, but with one key feature – it has more alcohol. This drink has a stronger taste, typically sweeter than your average beer, and has a standard drink of 8 oz at 7% ABV (though again, ABV can vary – you may find that specific brands are a little more or a little less than a standard drink).
Wine
There are many types of wine, but for ease, we’ll split them into what are known as “table wines” and “fortified wines.” The term “table wine” can vary a little depending on where you’re from – European usage equates table wine to simply a lower quality wine, but the American definition (which is the one we’ll be using) denotes a less expensive, ordinary wine that is not fortified. A standard drink for a table wine is considered 5 oz at about 12% ABV, though table wine can go up to 14%.
Fortified wine is a bit more tricky to measure – a broad category, the term “fortified wine” refers to wine that’s had a distilled spirit added to it, typically brandy or cognac. A standard drink of fortified wine is considered 3-4 oz at 17% ABV, but be careful! Fortified wines can vary anywhere from 15-22% ABV.
It’s also important to note that unlike the previous drinks, which come pre-measured in cans and bottles that are roughly the size of a standard drink or maybe two, wine bottles are typically much larger, with the gold standard being 750 ml, or 25.3 oz. This equates to about five standard drinks – so you’ll definitely want to measure it out in glasses, rather than drinking straight from the bottle.
Distilled Spirits
Gin, rum, vodka, whiskey – the list goes on and on when it comes to distilled spirits. These spirits are made from grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugars that have already been fermented, leading to a much higher alcohol content. Thus, a standard drink for distilled spirits is 1.5 oz, commonly referred to as a “shot,” and measures at about 40% ABV, or 80 proof (typically, when you see alcohol content defined as “proof,” in the U.S., the proof is double the ABV. In the UK and Japan, it’s a bit more complicated). Distilled spirits can be drunk on their own, but are often used in mixed drinks, which can boost the alcohol content of a drink considerably. Just like wine, if you’re buying these spirits, they usually come in large bottles that have several standard drinks, so we don’t recommend drinking from the bottle!
Mixed Drinks
If you’re wanting to explore all the different kinds of drinks out there, mixed drinks are a great way to sample multiple types at once. There’s a limitless amount of combinations to try (or you can stick to the staples). These drinks, containing at least one spirit mixed with at least one other ingredient (such as soda or juice) are often known as cocktails – some people use the terms interchangeably, though others take a hard stance and define cocktails as having specifically three or more ingredients.
Take caution with these drinks, though – because they can contain more than one spirit, many cocktails can amount to 2 or 3 standard drinks, which is something you’ll want to keep track of to avoid going overboard.
What To Consider When Drinking
(And The Importance of Pacing Yourself)
There are a lot of factors to consider about drinking. These certainly aren’t all of them, but we’ve collected some of the most vital things to think about:
Genetics. Are you predisposed to alcoholism, or other kinds of addiction? Or are you prone to other issues that can be exacerbated by excessive alcohol consumption, like high blood pressure or cholesterol? These don’t have to bar you from drinking entirely, but you’ll want to monitor the amount you drink very carefully, or your experience will quickly sour.
Medication. Be careful with your medication – research the risks of drinking in combination with any medications you regularly take, and avoid drinking if you’ve taken an NSAID, as ibuprofen and other NSAIDs are processed through the liver.
Weight. Your weight can affect your tolerance – the more body fat you have, the longer it takes your body to process alcohol.
Food. The more food is in your system, the slower alcohol is processed – that’s why bars sell greasy, high calorie food like burgers and fries. If you’re drinking on an empty or close-to-empty stomach, the alcohol will hit you harder and faster. This can become unpleasant quickly, and lead to nausea and dizziness, so it’s better to drink after you’ve eaten a hearty meal.
Desired Effects. There are stages to being drunk – generally speaking, a “tipsy” individual will be confident and chatty, with some slower reaction times and lowered inhibitions. This is what many people seek to feel (generally felt after 1-3 drinks). Drinking more than this leads to effects many consider less pleasant, such as emotional outbursts, blurry vision, trouble balancing, gaps in memory, and so on.
Pace. The faster you drink, the harder it hits you – your body has less time to process what you drank before, and your BAC (blood alcohol content) increases more. Especially when you’re having your first drink, drink it slowly to figure out how alcohol affects you.
Hydration. Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it makes you need to urinate more often. This can lead to dehydration, which can lead to an even nastier hangover the next day, so be sure to drink plenty of water (you can even ask your bartender to make sure you drink enough).
What Happens Over Time When You Binge Drink?
Turns Out, It Doesn’t Take A Lot To Binge
The 2020-25 U.S. Dietary Guidelines considers binge drinking to be drinking enough to bring your BAC to 0.08% or higher – they estimate that for most women, this is around 4 drinks within 2 hours, and for men, 5 drinks within 2 hours (based on the average biological makeups of cisgender, perisex individuals – unfortunately, not much research has been done on how intersex people and people on HRT process alcohol). They suggest that women limit themselves to 1 drink a day, and men to 2. For women, “heavy drinking” is defined as drinking 4 or more drinks in a day, or 8 or more drinks in a week. For men, 5 or more drinks in a day, or 15 or more over the course of a week.
It can be easy to exceed these amounts at times, especially when you’re having a fun night out with friends – maybe they convince you to have just one more drink before you go, or maybe you get a little overzealous in a drinking game. Overdoing it once or twice most likely won’t hurt you (aside from a killer hangover in the morning), but repeated binge drinking can lead to a whole host of problems, such as a weakened immune system, liver disease, and cardiovascular issues. It can also lead to alcohol use disorder (AUD), an addiction to alcohol where your relationship with alcohol impairs other parts of your life.
If you find yourself binging often, don’t be afraid to seek help. Many programs encourage abstinence, but others find that practicing moderation is more helpful. Some people also find that the 1-2-3 drinking rule works in reducing their usage – no more than one standard drink per hour, no more than two standard drinks per occasion, and no more than three drinks a day.
Now that you have all the information you need under your belt, feel free to go out and have that first drink – just remember to drink responsibly! (And if you end up with a hangover, we can help with that.)
