Just 1 Drink a Day Could Raise Your Risk of Liver Damage, Cancer

When you how to drink moderately put your physical and mental health first, you won’t depend on alcohol to “feel better.” You’ll be in a better position to maintain moderation. The reality is 7 or 14 weekly drinks might still be too many for some people. Say you start seeing cracks in your performance at work or increased fatigue after 5 weekly drinks. In this video, Dr. Bobby Lazzara explains the potential benefits of alcohol for your heart and emphasizes the importance of moderation. Consuming moderate amounts of certain types of alcohol, such as wine, has shown some benefits. However, it is important to note that many studies making these claims are inconclusive.

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The goal of a moderation program is to support a person’s journey toward understanding their drinking behavior and create a safe environment for them to explore how to drink Sober living house moderately. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines moderate drinking as up to two alcoholic drinks for men and one for women in any single day. If you struggle with this form of alcohol abuse, it is important to honestly assess your own behavioral patterns and ask yourself what you are willing to change. If you find that your use of alcohol leads to feelings of guilt, shame, or remorse, choose to be honest with yourself about the problem. You can make the choice in this moment to rethink your relationship with alcohol and begin to drink more responsibly and mindfully moving forward.

What is moderate drinking?

The benefits of alcohol lead many of us to drink so frequently that it can become habitual. There is nothing inherently wrong with drinking habitually, but many clients who come to my office indicate that they would prefer to be in control of their habit rather than feel as if the habit has taken on a life of its own. If you know you’re going out for the night but don’t want to feel horrible the next day, set a limit for yourself before you head out—and don’t break it.

• Kristen Kirkpatrick, registered dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic Department of Wellness & Preventive Medicine and president of KAK Consulting, noted that one drink per day equates to seven drinks per week.
• I have seen the terrible toll of alcohol use disorder and know the risks.
• Not to be a buzzkill, but alcohol can negatively influence our health in a few different ways  in both the short and long term.
• With Monument, you can feel empowered to make progress on your own terms, while knowing you have a holistic support network cheering you on.
• Here are my top 10 things that you need to do to moderate how much alcohol you drink, and ‘control’ your alcohol consumption.
• Mindfulness allows you to become aware of your ongoing moment-to-moment experience.

HOW TO DRINK MODERATELY

At the same time, however, alcohol-related deaths have been increasing, rising by 70 percent from 2012 to 2022, even with a definition of alcohol-related deaths that is limited to liver disease, poisoning and accidents. The actual count, when considering deaths to which alcohol was at least a contributor, such as cancer in heavy drinkers, is more difficult to quantify but likely much higher. A 2024 estimate by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put the number at 178,000 deaths attributable to alcohol overuse annually https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/social-drinking-and-drinking-problem/ in the US.

The heart-protective theory was based on the finding that moderate drinkers had better cardiovascular health than both nondrinkers (by a little bit) and heavy drinkers (by a lot). But those studies lumped all nondrinkers together, including those who had quit because of substance use issues or illness. As a result, “abstainers” looked relatively unhealthy, and “moderate” drinkers, many of whom exercise and eat well, looked pretty good.

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• To be safe, it’s best to buy top-shelf, clear liquor to avoid consuming more of these impurities.
• It can cause cancer because it breaks down in the body to form a compound called acetaldehyde, which damages DNA.
• If facing the real numbers is too daunting, that’s good information for you to know as well.
• The industry also lobbies lawmakers to stymie any attempt to place new restrictions, requirements or taxes on them.

Many who practice it find that they are better at understanding how much they are drinking, are able to reduce or eliminate binge drinking, and suffer fewer negative consequences from alcohol abuse. Over the past few decades, research has demonstrated that complete abstinence isn’t always the most effective approach for treating alcohol abuse. While total abstinence is necessary in some cases, in other cases people are able to reduce their drinking to moderate levels without needing to abstain totally. For people who have not been able to maintain sobriety through Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or other 12-step programs, they may wish to consider if moderation may be a more effective path for them to take. Binge drinking can lead to short-term effects such as alcohol poisoning, depression, unsafe driving, and anxiousness.

According to Livestrong, a margarita contains 400 calories, a long island, 425, a white Russian, 500, a piña colada is a whopping 600 calories. You can easily clock in a couple days’ worth of calories in one night when ordering these high-calorie, high-sugar concoctions. Instead, go neat or mix with water, soda water, or opt for a glass of wine. We’ve either heard or asked these questions more times than we can likely recall, and that’s because alcohol consumption is a common form of socialization in the world. So it’s no wonder that after a while, drinking can get out of hand.