No one ever really knows when they have had "one too many," but you may now at least have a chance to keep better track.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has created what it is calling the "cocktail content calculator" in an effort to let drinkers know just how much alcohol is in that drink they are about to gulp down.
The "cocktail content calculator" is designed to let the user know exactly how potent most popular drinks are. For instance, the "calculator" tells us a typical pina colada equates to two "standard" drinks, which the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines as "about 0.6 fluid ounces or 14 grams of 'pure' alcohol" -- the equivalent of 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of spirits.
The site also offers some smart summertime drinking advice as well, stating, "To pace yourself, have no more than one standard drink per hour, with nonalcoholic 'drink spacers' between alcohol beverages. Note that it takes about 2 hours for the adult body to completely break down a single drink. Stay within low-risk levels: For men, no more than 4 standard drinks on any day (and 14 per week), and for women, no more than 3 on any day (and 7 per week)."
Curious to see what kind of drinker you are based on your personal drinking habits? The site also allows you to see if the drinking patterns you typically engage in might be considered risky. You can enter the number of drinks you consume in a typical week, and on what the site refers to as a "typical drinking day," and you'll see a calculation of how your drinking habits compare to those of other men and women.
"It makes a difference both how much you drink on any day and how often you have a 'heavy drinking day,' that is, more than four drinks on any day for men or more than three drinks for women," the website explains. "The more drinks on any day and the more heavy drinking days over time, the greater the risk -- not only for alcoholism and alcohol abuse, but also for other health and personal problems."
Lastly, the site warns everyone to simply drink responsibly and, most importantly, to not drink and drive or engage in other potentially dangerous activities after drinking.
