"What is a standard drink?" (PDF), National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Updated 2005. From About.com filed in Alcoholism 101. In the United States, a standard drinks is any alcoholic beverage that contains 0.6 fluid ounces (14 grams) of pure alcohol. That equals about 1.2 tablespoons of alcohol. The following are generally considered one standard drink:
--12 oz. of beer or wine cooler
--8-9 oz. of malt liquor
--5 oz. table wine
--3-4 oz. fortified wine (sherry or port)
--2-3 oz. of liqueur, cordial or apertif
--1.5 oz. of brandy
--1.5 oz. of spirits (whiskey, gin, vodka, etc.)
The above examples are approximate because many brands and types of alcoholic beverages vary in actual alcohol content. Check the label for percent of alcohol content.

Below are samples of some of the issues and other information found on About.com. Address: http://alcoholism.about.com/ or sign up for their newsletter.

"Why you should never drink and drive", Buddy T., About.com.
25 years of research has shown that some impairment begins for both males and females even after one drink.

.02 BAC Level
At the .02 blood alcohol concentration level, experiments have demonstrated that people exhibit some loss of judgment, begin to relax and feel good. But tests have also shown that drivers at the .02 level experience a decline in visual functions, affecting their ability to track a moving object, and experience a decline in the ability to perform two tasks at the same time.

These changes may be very subtle and barely noticeable to the person who has had only one drink, but in an emergency situation while behind the wheel of a vehicle, they could cause the driver to react (or not react) as they would without having had a drink.

.05 BAC Level
At the .05 BAC level, people begin to exhibit exaggerated behavior, experience loss of small-muscle control -- such as being able to focus their eyes quickly -- have impaired judgment, lowered alertness and a release of inhibition.

If someone with a BAC level of .05 gets behind the wheel, they would be operating the vehicle with reduce coordination, a future diminished ability to track moving objects, more difficulty in steering and a markedly reduced response in emergency situations.

.08 BAC Level
When someone drinking is approaching the borderline of legal intoxication, studies show that he or she has poor muscle coordination -- affecting their balance, speech, vision, reaction time and hearing -- find it more difficult to detect danger, and exhibit impaired judgment, self-control, reasoning ability and memory. Address: http://alcoholism.about.com/od/dui/a/impaired.htm

Top Myths About Drinking Alcohol!

Drinking Misconceptions

These are the most common misconceptions that people have about drinking and the effects of alcohol, along with the actual facts.

MYTH: Beer is less intoxicating than other types of alcoholic beverage.

FACT: One 12-ounce can of beer, one 4-ounce glass of wine or one normal mixed drink or cocktail are all equally intoxicating.

MYTH: Switching between beer, wine, and liquor will make you drunker.

FACT: Mixing types of drinks may make you sicker by upsetting your stomach, but not more intoxicated. Alcohol is alcohol.

MYTH: Cold Showers, fresh air or hot coffee help sober a person.

FACT: Only time will remove alcohol from the system. It takes the body approximately one hour to eliminate the alcohol in one drink. An old saying goes, "give a drunk a cup of coffee and all you have is a wide-awake drunk.

MYTH: Eating a big meal before you drink will keep you sober.

FACT: Drinking on a full stomach will only delay the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream, not prevent it. Eating before you drink is not a defense against getting drunk.

MYTH: Everyone reacts to alcohol in the same way.

FACT: Many factors that affect a person's reaction to alcohol &emdash; body weight, metabolism, gender, body chemistry, and many others.

Female Drinking and Brain Damage
Medical research continues to reveal greater health risks for women who drink compared to men. The latest studies show that females face more brain damage than men who drink the same amount for the same period of time.

Images of Brain Damage
Innovations in imaging technology has helped alcohol researchers study how alcohol damages internal organs, such as the brain and the liver.

Are Women More Vulnerable to Alcohol's Effects?
Women appear to be more vulnerable than men to many adverse consequences of alcohol use.

Alcohol Affects Women's Brains More Than Men
Women who drink to excess experience more brain damage and sooner than males who drink the same amount and may experience even more severe long-term effects than men, according to two new research studies.

Women and the Effects of Alcohol
Women continue to be at higher risk than are men for certain serious medical consequences of alcohol use, including liver, brain, and heart damage.

Cheap Beer and Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Cheap beer prices may account for increases in sexually transmitted diseases among young people, according to a report from the CDC.

Women & Alcohol
Gender-based alcohol issues.

Fat Attack
The more women drink the worse their eating habits become, a new study reports. Women who drink heavily consume about a third more calories and cholesterol than those who do not drink.

Women and Alcohol Problems
Women who drink face a different set of issues than males who drink

'Peers' Help Alcoholics
Bill W. was right. One drunk talking with another is one of the most effective ways to reach problem drinkers with the message of recovery, as a newly released study demonstrates.

Alcohol and Crime
U. S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics
This report was prepared as background data for the Assistant Attorney General's April 5-7 National Symposium on Alcohol Abuse and Crime. It provides an overview of national information on the role of alcohol in violent victimization and its use among those convicted of crimes. Victim perceptions of alcohol use by offenders at the time of the crime are provided as well as the extent to which alcohol is involved in different categories of crime. The report also summarizes information from national surveys of offenders under probation supervision in the community and offenders incarcerated in local jails and State prisons to learn more about their typical drinking behavior and alcohol use at the time of their crime. Estimates of offender blood-alcohol concentrations (BAC's) at the time of the offense are compared to those of drunken drivers involved in fatal accidents. The report also provides special analyses of alcohol use and domestic violence among murderers. 4/98 NCJ 168632
http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&lid=385

07/19/10