Featured Topics
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How many drinks are in common containers?
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Learn the approximate number of standard drinks (or alcoholic drink equivalents) found in common containers.
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Why being able to “hold your liquor” is a concern?
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An individual's lower response to the intoxicating effects of alcohol isn't protection from alcohol problems but instead is a reason for caution.
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Do you know the signs that alcohol is causing harm?
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Having even a couple symptoms—which you might not see as trouble signs—can signal a drinking problem.
What is a standard drink?
What counts as a drink?
In the United States, a “standard drink” (also known as an alcoholic drink equivalent) is defined as any beverage containing 0.6 fluid ounces or 14 grams of pure alcohol.
Find Out MoreAlcohol Calculators
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How strong is your mixed drink?
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Trying to lose weight?
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Learn the Facts
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Is your "lite" beer light in alcohol?
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Not necessarily. Although they have fewer calories, many light beers have almost as much alcohol as regular beer—about 85% as much, or 4.2% versus 5.0% alcohol by volume, on average.
Check the alcohol content of your beverage. Malt beverages are not required to list their alcohol content on the labels, so you may need to visit the bottler's Web site.
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How many "drinks" are in a bottle of wine?
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A typical 25-ounce (750 ml) bottle of table wine holds about 5 "standard" drinks, each containing about 5 ounces. This serving size of wine contains about the same amount of alcohol as a 12-ounce regular beer or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof spirits.
Get to know what 5 ounces looks like by measuring it out at home. That way you can estimate how many standard drinks you're being served in a restaurant or bar that uses large glasses and generous serving sizes.
