Reassessing your Big Gulp!

“I don’t drink. No, really, no hard liquor for me! I’m clean! …Oh, you mean beer? Well I drink beer every night.” Believe me, we hear that all the time. “I only have a couple of glasses of wine a night!” Seems innocent. Until you realize that when she pours herself some wine, her glass is full to the brim! “I only drink on the weekends.” Ok, fine. But on the weekend, he is getting so drunk that he blacks out and can’t remember a thing! Healthy? I think not!

At Innovation360, we encourage the act of “rethinking your drinking”.  Do you know what constitutes a “standard” glass of wine or cocktail? And how many standard drinks are in a container? For instance, when you think you’re drinking just a couple of beers at dinner, but those beers are 16oz bottles, those each actually contain 1.3 drinks. Check out this table below from Rethinking Drinking: NIAA which is based on how much pure alcohol is in a beverage:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I came across this article from USA TODAY and it reminded me that often, we are just uneducated on how much we are actually drinking. This articles talks specifically about how wine drinkers pour more than they realize, but we shouldn’t stop with wine. When poured in another glass, malt liquor, brandy, hard liquor, and spirits generally fool people when it comes to how much they are drinking. And that’s important to know when you are assessing your alcohol intake. You need to know how many drinks you are having in any given day and over the course of the week, and if you don’t realize you are actually pouring a drink and half each time you fill your glass, that is going to spiral into a big problem quickly! Knowing how much you drink is critical.

I encourage you to play around on this website to educate yourself on alcohol and your health. It is a great tool for discovering what your drinking patterns are and how risky they may be. What it really comes down to is whether your habits are harmful or not. Are you damaging relationships because of your drinking? Are you missing out on other things that bring you joy? Are other areas in your life suffering because of your drinking? Are you prioritizing drinking and obtaining alcohol over other, healthier opportunities?  If you or a loved one is struggling with alcohol or drug use, reach out. There isn’t a moment to waste! We are here to help guide you in the right direction – towards a better, healthier, joy-filled life.

Written by Lauren Barnett, Marketing Director

Resources: USA TODAY, Sharyn Jackson, The Des Moines Register4:47 p.m. EDT September 30, 2013 – Wine Drinkers Often Overpour, Study Says.