It’s a Good Time to Think Before You Drink

We hear too many stories about tragedies that occur after a joyful office holiday party or on a dark, slippery road. So although we’ve addressed this topic before, this advice seems to bear repeating from time to time, especially at this time of year.

Alcohol is a legal but potentially dangerous drug, unless its use is carefully controlled. It should never--that’s right, never--be consumed by people who are driving, pregnant (or trying to become pregnant) or who are underage.

Having a drink or two at a party or with dinner seems harmless enough. It is a well-accepted social custom. Wine in moderation even seems to have some protective effect against heart disease.

The problem with alcohol begins when alcohol becomes a problem, when the line between moderate and heavy drinking is crossed. Unfortunately, we don’t know exactly where that line is because it is different for each person and seems to be different for men than it is for women. We all know people who are able to drink a great deal and function in a seemingly normal way and others who, with one glass of wine, become silly and disoriented.

Alcohol starts to be absorbed as soon as it hits the stomach; it doesn’t have to wait until it gets into the small intestine. This means that it gets into the bloodstream more quickly than other substances. It can also be absorbed by all the body’s cells, so it has a wide-ranging effect on the body.

It takes the body about one hour to burn an ounce of pure alcohol after it gets into the bloodstream. So if you have more than one drink per hour, the unprocessed alcohol will start to concentrate in the blood.

Contrary to popular belief, a glass of wine (5 ounces), a can of beer (12 ounces) and 1 1/2 ounces of 80-proof liquor all give you the same amount of pure alcohol (about two-thirds of an ounce). However, because the alcohol in beer and wine is not as concentrated as it is in whiskey, for instance, it tends to be absorbed more slowly.

In any case, once the alcohol gets into the bloodstream, there is nothing you can do to speed up the burning process. Coffee will not help; eating a meal will not help; taking a cold shower will not help. Your body can only process alcohol at a certain rate.

In some states, the legal indication of intoxication is a blood alcohol concentration of 0.10%. However, in California, that level has been lowered to 0.08%, and for those younger than 21, any trace of alcohol (0.01%) is defined as intoxication. At 0.05%, most individuals become very relaxed and begin to lose judgment.

At 0.08%, everyday stress starts to disappear. At 0.10%, movement and speech start to get awkward. At 0.20%, a person is very drunk, may be loud, hard to understand and emotionally unstable. At 0.40% to 0.50%, a person may pass out, be difficult to wake, may slip into a coma and may actually die.

It doesn’t take very much alcohol to raise your blood alcohol level to dangerous levels. For a 160-pound person, it would take about four drinks in a two-hour period to reach the 0.10% level.

When pregnant women (and even women about to become pregnant) drink alcohol, there is a dangerously high risk of fetal alcohol syndrome in their newborn babies. Since women are now drinking more than ever, this is a very real concern for future generations.

Teenagers are another very vulnerable population, especially if they drink and drive. Alcohol-impaired driving has at times been the leading cause of death among teenagers 15 to 19 years old.

Since it seems likely that people will continue to consume alcohol, especially around the holidays, here are some guidelines for “safer” drinking.

* Do not have more than one drink per hour. People who weigh less than 160 pounds should drink even less. Under no circumstances should you drive. There is even some evidence that by the morning after, your ability to drive may still be impaired, regardless of whether or not you feel hung over. Try not to do any driving for about 24 hours after heavy drinking.

* At a party, try to find a place to set your drink down. Carrying it around with you only increases the likelihood that you will drink it faster.

* Mix liquor liberally with plain water, juice or other nonalcoholic liquids. Don’t drink it straight. Even wine can be diluted a bit and still taste OK. If you object to doing this to a fine wine, try drinking water along with the wine.

* If you drink at a party because you need to have something in your hand that looks like a drink, try a “virgin” mixed drink (without the alcohol).

Most of all, have a safe holiday and a healthy new year.

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Dr. Sheldon Margen is a professor of public health at UC Berkeley; Dale A. Ogar is managing editor of the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter. Send questions to Dale Ogar, School of Public Health, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-7360, or e-mail to daogar@uclink4.berkeley.edu. Eating Smart appears the second and fourth Mondays of the month.