During the summer, many adult Bronxites may find themselves drinking more fluids, including adult beverages ranging from beer to specialty drinks at restaurants or at home.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes certain groups should not drink at all, including those under the legal drinking age of 21, women who are or may become pregnant, people who are driving, planning to drive, or are participating in other activities requiring skill, coordination, and alertness.  Also, people taking certain prescription or over-the-counter medications that can interact with alcohol, people with certain medical conditions and people who are recovering from alcoholism or who are unable to control the amount they drink need to avoid consuming alcohol.

For those who drink alcohol and are of legal drinking age, the 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans notes that drinking should always be done in moderation, meaning up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men.  But what is a drink according to the guidelines?

When referencing a drink, there is a standard based on how much pure alcohol is included and how quickly it is processed by the body.  The standard size of each type of alcoholic beverage changes depending on the proof or volume. Generally:

• The standard drink for a beer is 12 ounces, or a regular sized can
• The standard drink of hard liquor is 1.5 ounces, or a typical shot glass
• The standard drink of wine is 5 ounces, or one-half of a small cup of coffee

Since craft beers and non-traditional wines could have higher percentages of alcohol, smaller-sized beverages can also vary greatly on their number of standard drinks. For example, a traditional mojito with 4.5 ounces of hard liquor has three standard drinks, a Long Island Iced Tea can have up to five standard drinks or 7.5 ounces of alcohol, and illegal drinks sold throughout the summer, like a Nutcracker, can have unknown amounts of pure alcohol. When counting drinks, monitoring standard drinks and not beverages can help a person stay within the guidelines, and avoid excessive drinking over the long summer.

Excessive alcohol use is a known problem in the United States and the third leading preventable cause of death.  If you or someone you know has a drinking problem, consult with your personal health care provider or call 311 or the National Drug and Alcohol Treatment Referral Routing Service at (800) 662-HELP.

To learn more, visit the CDC Website at: https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/index.htm.

Paulette Giambalvo works for Montefiore Health System’s Office of Community & Population Health.