How Much Can I Drink?
We cannot tell you exactly how much alcohol consumption is healthy. This is not because we believe that alcohol should be limitless. It should not be. The reason that we cannot make a precise recommendation is we have no idea what to recommend.
It would be easy to run with the recommendations from the USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. “If alcohol is consumed, it should be consumed in moderation - up to one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men.” If we thought there was any consensus behind these numbers, we might have adopted them. We are, however, a long a way from agreement between various governmental agencies and researchers.
The International Center for Alcohol Policies produced a list of International Drinking Guidelines. It turns out that over 30 countries have weighed in on the debate and offered their own recommendations for healthy alcohol consumption. And, as you might have guessed, they differ wildly from one country to the next.
If you accept government guidelines, Italians can safely consume twice as much alcohol per day as Germans and Swedes. Italians can also drink one-third more alcohol per day than the average American. This is according to guidelines published by the Italian Ministry for Agriculture and equivalent agencies in the other countries.
To take these guidelines at face value we would have to assume that Italians are somehow genetically better adapted to drinking. Many of our Italian friends would love to believe this, but we think that conclusion is premature.
Italians are by no means drunken outliers. Spaniards are assured to be healthy while consuming a full 25 percent more alcohol than Italians. In fact, adults hailing from the Basque region of Spain can consume even more. According to the Basque Country Department of Health and Social Security both men and women alike can safely drink a full bottle of wine every single day. We have no idea if anyone follows these recommendations, but it is worth mentioning that the Basque region has one of the highest life expectancies of any region in Europe.
It would be easy to run with the recommendations from the USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. “If alcohol is consumed, it should be consumed in moderation - up to one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men.” If we thought there was any consensus behind these numbers, we might have adopted them. We are, however, a long a way from agreement between various governmental agencies and researchers.
The International Center for Alcohol Policies produced a list of International Drinking Guidelines. It turns out that over 30 countries have weighed in on the debate and offered their own recommendations for healthy alcohol consumption. And, as you might have guessed, they differ wildly from one country to the next.
If you accept government guidelines, Italians can safely consume twice as much alcohol per day as Germans and Swedes. Italians can also drink one-third more alcohol per day than the average American. This is according to guidelines published by the Italian Ministry for Agriculture and equivalent agencies in the other countries.
To take these guidelines at face value we would have to assume that Italians are somehow genetically better adapted to drinking. Many of our Italian friends would love to believe this, but we think that conclusion is premature.
Italians are by no means drunken outliers. Spaniards are assured to be healthy while consuming a full 25 percent more alcohol than Italians. In fact, adults hailing from the Basque region of Spain can consume even more. According to the Basque Country Department of Health and Social Security both men and women alike can safely drink a full bottle of wine every single day. We have no idea if anyone follows these recommendations, but it is worth mentioning that the Basque region has one of the highest life expectancies of any region in Europe.
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Fact: Allow us to share some of the more interesting observations we have teased out of these data:
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Consensus is lacking not just between countries, but within them. Recently, the British Physician, Dr. Michael Mosley, stirred controversy on BBC Radio by airing his contempt for the alcohol consumption guidelines of England. When asked for his thoughts Dr. Mosley replied, “Those limits were really plucked out of the air. They were not based on any firm evidence at all.”
Although Dr. Mosley was speaking about British recommendations, we are confident that he would feel the same about the guidelines from the U.S. government. First, the U.S. recommendations are nearly identical to those from the U.K. More importantly, Dr. Mosley is convinced that the British recommendations are far too high. If he were in charge he would cap daily alcohol consumption at one-quarter of a pint of beer, or - and we did calculate this - a single shot of Nyquil.
Perhaps Dr. Mosley will be vindicated. Or, in time, it may be deemed healthier to wash down Basque Tapas with a full bottle of vino. We are rooting for the Basque’s guidelines, but we will keep an open mind as new studies continue to pour in.
Any recommendation we might offer today would be arbitrary. Our number would be selected randomly from the available sources. We would have no way of knowing if we were right and no way to justify the quantity if questioned. If asked, “How did you come up with that number?” we would be forced to answer with the standard refrain of publishers of creationist textbooks: “Our facts are faith-based.”
Although Dr. Mosley was speaking about British recommendations, we are confident that he would feel the same about the guidelines from the U.S. government. First, the U.S. recommendations are nearly identical to those from the U.K. More importantly, Dr. Mosley is convinced that the British recommendations are far too high. If he were in charge he would cap daily alcohol consumption at one-quarter of a pint of beer, or - and we did calculate this - a single shot of Nyquil.
Perhaps Dr. Mosley will be vindicated. Or, in time, it may be deemed healthier to wash down Basque Tapas with a full bottle of vino. We are rooting for the Basque’s guidelines, but we will keep an open mind as new studies continue to pour in.
Any recommendation we might offer today would be arbitrary. Our number would be selected randomly from the available sources. We would have no way of knowing if we were right and no way to justify the quantity if questioned. If asked, “How did you come up with that number?” we would be forced to answer with the standard refrain of publishers of creationist textbooks: “Our facts are faith-based.”
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Fact: We’ve long been fascinated by the publishers of creationist textbooks. Their decision-making process is so far from our own that we can only imagine the conversations that take place at their board meetings:
“What do we tell people if they ask how we know that Adam and Eve rode a Triceratops?” “Great question, Jane. First, I’d like point out that this rarely comes up since we stacked the school boards. But if anyone does inquire, show him or her this crudely drawn cartoon depiction. I used it last week in front of a House Subcommittee and they all agreed that it provides more than sufficient evidence.” |
Before you take our lack of a recommendation as permission to start shot-gunning beers, we want to make it absolutely clear that we think binge drinking is both unhealthy and dangerous. Unfortunately, we cannot say at which drink healthy drinking ends and binge drinking begins. One again, even the vaunted experts disagree.
An often-cited study from the United States sets binge drinking at four drinks per day for women and five drinks for men. By contrast, a study out of Sweden sets the bar at more than twice the American level: half bottle of spirits or two bottles of wine on the same occasion. The Royal College of Physicians in England has entered the fray as well at seven drinks per day for women and 10 for men.
The negative health impacts of binge drinking are universally recognized even if the quantity is still being debated. On the bright side, if you’re on Drink Your Carbs you should never hit these limits.
An often-cited study from the United States sets binge drinking at four drinks per day for women and five drinks for men. By contrast, a study out of Sweden sets the bar at more than twice the American level: half bottle of spirits or two bottles of wine on the same occasion. The Royal College of Physicians in England has entered the fray as well at seven drinks per day for women and 10 for men.
The negative health impacts of binge drinking are universally recognized even if the quantity is still being debated. On the bright side, if you’re on Drink Your Carbs you should never hit these limits.
How Much Can I Drink on Drink Your Carbs?
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Fact: Allow us to reiterate a few facts: We are not doctors. We are not your mom. Nor is either of us a nurse, nutritionist, biologist, anthropologist or anything that might validate our opinion. We have only one advanced degree between us. Steven has a masters’ degree in Godzilla.
Ideally this is a question you should ask of your doctor instead of looking for guidance from people who are better qualified to field questions about vintage monster films. |
We apply a simple rule to our own lives. Others have successfully adopted our rule as well. It is not a matter of ounces or a number of drinks. Rather, our rule is behavior-based. It is designed to keep alcohol consumption to a reasonable level and provide correction if it gets out of hand. It’s so effective that we made it a fundamental part of Drink Your Carbs. Stop following this rule and you are no longer on the diet.
Our answer to ‘How much is too much?’ is this: Exercise. Alcohol is limited on Drink Your Carbs by the fact that we require exercise. And by “exercise” we mean a serious routine that elevates your heart rate for at least 20 minutes and burns significant calories.
Our answer to ‘How much is too much?’ is this: Exercise. Alcohol is limited on Drink Your Carbs by the fact that we require exercise. And by “exercise” we mean a serious routine that elevates your heart rate for at least 20 minutes and burns significant calories.
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Fact: Exercise should be uncomfortable. That is how you know it is working.
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Exercise is not optional. Exercise is required for both overall health and weight loss. Most importantly, exercise turns Drink Your Carbs into self-correcting system. If you can’t get out of bed in the morning to fully commit to your workout, you are drinking too much. It’s time to dial it way back.
You should never work out with a hangover because you should never drink enough to be hung over. In our own lives, we apply this rule as follows: if a night out partying impacts the next day’s workout, we cut our drinking way back. In severe cases, we dial our drinking all the way down to zero, or as we call it, Nightmare Mode.
This rule is probably not sufficient to satisfy the various National Institutes of Health, except perhaps the one in the Basque region. Nonetheless, we have found it incredibly effective. On the rare occasions when we attend a birthday party or wine tasting and drink too much, the feedback is unmistakable. Corrective action kicks in the very next day.
You should never work out with a hangover because you should never drink enough to be hung over. In our own lives, we apply this rule as follows: if a night out partying impacts the next day’s workout, we cut our drinking way back. In severe cases, we dial our drinking all the way down to zero, or as we call it, Nightmare Mode.
This rule is probably not sufficient to satisfy the various National Institutes of Health, except perhaps the one in the Basque region. Nonetheless, we have found it incredibly effective. On the rare occasions when we attend a birthday party or wine tasting and drink too much, the feedback is unmistakable. Corrective action kicks in the very next day.
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Fact: Instead of a recommended number of drinks or grams of alcohol we offer a biofeedback loop. Or, if you prefer a more philosophical analogy, we offer a Yin-Yang with alcohol on one side and exercise on the other. They must exist in harmony.
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One final note to the rare outliers who can drink large quantities and still make it to the gym in the morning: we acknowledge that everyone is different. For most people, our exercise requirement is more than sufficient to cap alcohol consumption at a healthy level. However, there are undoubtedly a few people who can drink right up to the British and Swedish definitions of binge drinking and still function well enough to fulfill the exercise requirement. To these rare few we say: just because you can do it doesn’t mean you should.
Ignoring the potential negative health impacts - since you are obviously disregarding them - drinking two bottles of wine or a six pack of beer a day adds more than 1,000 calories to your diet. There is no realistic way to offset a number that large through healthy eating and exercise. Even in Austerity Mode, it would be nearly impossible to offset so many calories. Nor is it realistic to try to burn them in the gym; it would take a nine-mile run. You might be able to do it once or twice - assuming you’re not too hung over - but it’s just not a realistic daily plan.
In the end, you must find your own formula for balance if our rule is not sufficient. If you find this difficult, you can always fall back on the quantity recommendations of the country in which you reside.
Ignoring the potential negative health impacts - since you are obviously disregarding them - drinking two bottles of wine or a six pack of beer a day adds more than 1,000 calories to your diet. There is no realistic way to offset a number that large through healthy eating and exercise. Even in Austerity Mode, it would be nearly impossible to offset so many calories. Nor is it realistic to try to burn them in the gym; it would take a nine-mile run. You might be able to do it once or twice - assuming you’re not too hung over - but it’s just not a realistic daily plan.
In the end, you must find your own formula for balance if our rule is not sufficient. If you find this difficult, you can always fall back on the quantity recommendations of the country in which you reside.
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If you want to learn more: The International Center For Alcohol Policies tracks healthy drinking guidelines and binge drinking warnings country-by-country. All consumption numbers are reported in grams of pure alcohol. While this makes it easy to compare different countries’ recommendations, this can make it difficult to figure out how much you are personally consuming. The best resource we have found for converting grams of alcohol into to recognizable drinks is Wikipedia.
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