Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (cont.)
What is a safe level of drinking?
For most adults, moderate alcohol use—up to two drinks per day for men and one
drink per day for women and older people—causes few if any problems. (One drink
equals one 12-ounce bottle of beer or wine cooler, one 5-ounce glass of wine, or
1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits.)
Certain people should not drink at all, however:
- Women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant
- People who plan to drive or engage in other activities that require
alertness and skill (such as driving a car)
- People taking certain over-the-counter or prescription medications
- People with medical conditions that can be made worse by drinking
- Recovering alcoholics
- People younger than age 21.
Is it safe to drink during
pregnancy?
No, alcohol can harm the baby of a mother who drinks during pregnancy. Although
the highest risk is to babies whose mothers drink heavily, it is not clear yet
whether there is any completely safe level of alcohol during pregnancy. For this
reason, the U.S. Surgeon General released advisories in 1981 and again in 2005
urging women who are pregnant or may become pregnant to abstain from alcohol
(http://www.lhvpn.net/hhspress.html). The damage caused by prenatal alcohol
includes a range of physical, behavioral, and learning problems in babies. Babies
most severely affected have what is called Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). These
babies may have abnormal facial features and severe learning disabilities.
Babies can also be born with mild disabilities without the facial changes
typical of FAS.
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