Recommended maximum intake of alcoholic beverages

There is no global consensus on recommended maximum intake (or safe limits) of the drug alcohol (also known formally as ethanol). The guidelines provided by health agencies of governments are varied and are shown below. These recommendations concerning maximum intake are distinct from any legal restrictions (e.g. driving after consuming alcohol) that may apply in those countries. The American Heart Association recommends that those who do not already consume alcoholic beverages should not start doing so because of the negative long-term effects of alcohol consumption. There is no global consensus on recommended maximum intake (or safe limits) of the drug alcohol (also known formally as ethanol). The guidelines provided by health agencies of governments are varied and are shown below. These recommendations concerning maximum intake are distinct from any legal restrictions (e.g. driving after consuming alcohol) that may apply in those countries. The American Heart Association recommends that those who do not already consume alcoholic beverages should not start doing so because of the negative long-term effects of alcohol consumption. The recommended limits for daily or weekly consumption provided in the various countries' guidelines generally apply to the average healthy adult. However, many guidelines also set out numerous conditions under which alcohol intake should be further restricted or eliminated. They may stipulate that, among other things, people with liver, kidney, or other chronic disease, cancer risk factors, smaller body size, young or advanced age, those who have experienced issues with mental health, sleep disturbances, alcohol or drug dependency or who have a close family member who has, or who are taking medication that may interact with alcohol, or suffering or recovering from an illness or accident, are urged to consider, in consultation with their health professionals, a different level of alcohol use, including reduction or abstention. Furthermore, the maximum amounts allowed do not apply to those involved with activities such as operating vehicles or machinery, risky sports or other activities, or those responsible for the safety of others. Guidelines generally give recommended amounts measured in grams (g) of pure alcohol. Some guidelines also express alcohol intake in units or standard drinks when recommending maximum alcohol intake. The size of a standard drink varies widely, as does the recommended maximum number of drinks per day or week, among the various guidelines. The amounts listed are not meant as recommendations for how much alcohol a drink should contain, but rather to give a common reference that people can use for measuring their intake, though they may or may not correspond to a typical serving size in their country. In North America, one standard drink corresponds to a typical 12 fl. oz. bottle of 5% Alcohol by Volume (ABV) beer, 5 fl. oz. of 12% ABV wine, or a 1.5 fl. oz. shot of 40% ABV liquor. Due to the different size of the US and Canadian ounce however, the actual amount of alcohol is slightly different. In Europe the most common standard drink size is 10g of pure alcohol, making a typical 330ml bottle of 4.8% ABV beer correspond to 1.2 drinks or a 500ml bottle 1.9 drinks; 100ml of 11% wine is 0.9 drinks, and a 40ml shot of 33% spirits equal 1.0 drink, while in countries that use 12g, those same servings are 1.0, 1.6, 0.7, and 0.9 drinks respectively. Studies have shown that most people find it difficult to understand and define exactly what a standard drink is, and consistently underestimate how much they drink. The amount of pure alcohol is stated in the table in both grams and millilitres. The number of standard drinks contained in 500ml of beer of 5% ABV (a typical large drink of beer, similar to a US pint of 473ml) is stated for comparison.