# define one drink - define healthy consumption **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 17, 2011, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-one-drink-define-healthy-consumption/567890 "2011-01-17T01:38:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ultraman100](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b77776/32.png) [@ultraman100](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultraman100)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-one-drink-define-healthy-consumption/567890/1 "2011-01-17T01:38:11Z")
I’ve heard one drink is 1 12oz beer. But what if you’re 300lbs? is that now less than ‘one drink’. Second Question: Is there a good online calculator that can tell you what is healthy (perhaps according to some doctor somewhere) for a person of a certain weight? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-one-drink-define-healthy-consumption/567890/2 "2011-01-17T01:41:22Z")
Standard is 1 beer (12oz)= 1 glass of wine(4oz)=1shot of liquor (80 proof/1.25 oz) All of these contain the same amount of alcohol. A bigger person requires more “drinks” to reach a given BAC. ---
**Author:** ![ultraman100](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b77776/32.png) [@ultraman100](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultraman100)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-one-drink-define-healthy-consumption/567890/3 "2011-01-17T01:47:03Z")
Maybe this is a better question: What are the majority of doctors saying is a good amount of beer to be healthy these days (in ounces) for a 250 lb person? ---
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-one-drink-define-healthy-consumption/567890/4 "2011-01-17T02:14:12Z")
> [@ultraman100](#): > > Maybe this is a better question: What are the majority of doctors saying is a good amount of beer to be healthy these days (in ounces) for a 250 lb person? IANAD, etc. None if you don’t currently drink. Two drinks per day, as defined above, if you’re already a drinker. ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-one-drink-define-healthy-consumption/567890/5 "2011-01-17T02:21:19Z")
Here is a chart of [BAC levels](http://www.brad21.org/bac_charts.html) per number of drinks broken down by weight, and [here](http://www.moderation.org/readings.shtml)is a page by some moderate drinking advocates that recommend moderate drinkers shouldn’t exceed 0.055% BAC in general. So for a 250lb. male that would be about 3 standard drinks as defined above. That is certainly not evidence that it’s “healthy” to drink 3 drinks per day at 250lbs or safe to drive, or that most doctors recommend it, but maybe it can be useful as a ballpark figure while you make your own determinations on these questions. There is no shortage of conflicting information available in the thousands of published studies on the subject. I think that’s why when we want to boil it all down into an easy to follow guideline the general wisdom is simply: “1-2 drinks per day and no more than 2 or 3 days per week” is considered “moderation”. A little bit more for men and a little bit less for women. They don’t often break it down by weight and BAC levels because the public won’t often think about it in this level of detail while deciding if they should order that third drink or not. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-one-drink-define-healthy-consumption/567890/6 "2011-01-17T02:28:40Z")
No matter how much you weigh, the liver has to process the alcohol. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-one-drink-define-healthy-consumption/567890/7 "2011-01-17T12:12:23Z")
So, my staying dry and then going on a bender once a month is within “healthy” parameters, on average. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-one-drink-define-healthy-consumption/567890/9 "2011-01-17T13:35:27Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > So, my staying dry and then going on a bender once a month is within “healthy” parameters, on average. No, the guidelines usually put a limit on the number of drinks you should consume a day, and warn that binge drinking is not healthy. > **[Alcohol in moderation: How many drinks is that?](https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/alcohol/art-20044551)** > > Drinking alcohol in any amount is a health risk that increases with each drink you have. The risk peaks with heavy drinking, including binge drinking, which carries serious health risks. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-one-drink-define-healthy-consumption/567890/10 "2011-01-17T13:49:41Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > No matter how much you weigh, the liver has to process the alcohol. Yes, size affects BAC, which can secondarily impact your health, but a large person’s organs may be no larger or better able to tolerate alcohol than those of a smaller person.