Is there a ‘safer’ way to drink? Is it really ‘safe’?

Alcoholic beverages are cancer causing in humans, and so there is no safe or harmless level of drinking. To date, the World Health Organization does not issue any drinking guidelines. In general, as alcohol drinking produces far more harmful effects than advantages, non-drinkers should not start drinking with the intent of improving health. For those who choose to drink alcoholic beverages, they should limit the drinks to minimize the harmful effect of alcohol on their health. For more information on “Informed Choice”, please click here.

No. One 330 ml can of beer has about the same amount of alcohol as one 150 ml glass of red/white wine, or 45 ml of hard liquor. Actually, it is the amount of alcohol consumed that affects a person most, not the type of alcoholic drink. For more information on “How many alcohol units contained in different alcoholic beverages”, please click here.

Studies have shown that women are more vulnerable to the effects of alcohol than men. This is because women usually weigh less than men. Besides, women have less water in their bodies than men do, and alcohol resides predominantly in body water. In addition, women have a lower level of liver enzyme that helps break down alcohol. As such, even the same amount of alcohol is consumed; women will result in having a higher concentration of alcohol in their bloodstream than men. For more information on “Women and Alcohol”, please click here.

The absorption and breaking down of alcohol, as well as the reaction to alcohol varies from person to person and are influenced by many factors, such as gender, metabolic rate, body size and composition, amount of food in the stomach, amount and speed of alcohol being consumed, and use of drugs or medication, etc. Therefore, it is hard to predict how much alcohol a person can drink that will or will not result in a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) exceeding the limit for drink-driving. Although the government sets the prescribed BAC limit at 50 mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, certain driving skills (such as concentration, body reflexes and coordination) can already be impaired at much lower BAC. Drinking a small amount of alcohol can impair our ability to drive, so it’s always safest not to drink and drive.

Drinking copious amounts of tea or water cannot lower the alcohol level in blood within a short period of time. Alcohol takes time to leave your body, and the absorption and breaking down of alcohol, influenced by many factors, varies from person to person. There is no quick way of sobering up, and drinking coffee or taking a cold shower will not help. Many hours after drinking, you could still be over the legal limit or unfit to drive (for example, if you drink at lunchtime, you may still be unfit to drive in the evening).

If you choose to drink alcohol, plan beforehand how you will get home without driving by yourself. You could book a taxi, use public transport or arrange a lift with someone who is not drinking. Never offer alcohol to someone who is going to drive, and do not get in a car with someone who has been drinking.

Different dosages of alcohol do affect risk of premature cancer death. Epidemiologic studies have clearly indicated that alcohol drinking can cause cancers of oral cavity, pharynx (excluding nasopharynx), larynx, esophagus, liver, colorectal, and female breasts, and the risks of these cancers rise with increasing alcohol use. The risk of morbidity/mortality of oesophageal cancer, for example, is increased by 21%, 47%, and 82% respectively for drinking 1.2 alcohol units (approximately the amount of pure alcohol contained in one 125ml serving glass of wine with 12% alcohol content), 2.4 alcohol units, and 3.6 alcohol units a day. When it comes to cancer risk, there is NO safe drinking level. Regular alcohol use, even consumed in small amounts, increases the risk of dying from cancer. So, the sound advice is not to start drinking at all. For current drinkers, who stop drinking now, their cancer risk will gradually return to that before they started drinking. For more information on “How alcohol is related to cancer”, please click here.

To target the youth market, more and more alcoholic beverages appear in the market, known as “Alcopop”. “Alcopops” are sweet-tasting, pre-mixed alcohol-based drinks which contain juice, other flavors or even caffeine. They resemble soft drinks in appearance, and usually contain similar amounts of alcohol as beer (about 4-7%) but can contain up to 8-12% of alcohol. Not only does the colorful outlook make the drink appear less threatening, the fruity flavor also masks the bitter taste of alcohol, leading to heavier consumption. As a result, the tendency to binge drink can put one’s health into jeopardy. For more information on “Alcopops”, please click here.

Making informed choices about drinking is important, as it enables one to choose to drink or not after duly considering the risk of alcohol use, thus restricting the volume of consumption and minimizing alcohol-related harm:

• Alcohol can cause cancer, and should not be used for improving health.
• If you don’t drink, do not start drinking.
• If you choose to drink, limit your drinking after knowing the risk to minimize alcohol harm:
  
  • Men should not drink more than 2 alcohol units a day;
  • Women should not drink more than 1 alcohol unit a day.
• Please note the above is only to lower the risk of drinking, as there is no safe level of drinking.
• For health and a lower risk of cancers, reduce drinking step by step. Staying sober is the best option.
• Children, adolescents and pregnant women should not drink at all.

As the brain does not stop developing until the early 20s, drinking alcohol at an early age may interfere with healthy brain development and functioning. Studies have shown that children and adolescents who were allowed to drink were at increased risk of having drinking problems when they grow up. You would not want to subject your loved ones to the harmful effects of alcohol without a good reason! For more information on “How alcohol affects young people’s health”, please click here.