One of the most difficult parts about moderation is the ability to justify. If you only allow yourself to have ‘a few’ drinks during the week, how many does that mean? If you only allow yourself to feel ‘tipsy’ and not ‘drunk’ where is the limit? Are you only drinking when you go out? How often do you go out? The need to scratch that itch can make loopholes a lot more visible.
Health guidelines are some of the most straightforward guidelines to follow. They are easily spelled out. They make sense. They are there for your health. They have hard and fast rules that if you break, your health is at risk.
GLOBAL HEALTH GUIDELINES
U.S. Guidelines for alcohol use: moderate alcohol consumption is defined as having up to 1 drink per day for women and up to 2 drinks per day for men. This definition refers to the amount consumed on any single day and is not intended as an average over several days.
UK Guidelines for alcohol use: limit intake to 14 units a week for women and men. This is equivalent to drinking no more than 6 pints of average-strength beer (4% ABV) or 7 medium-sized glasses of wine (175ml, 12% ABV) a week.
France Guidelines for alcohol use: No more than three standard drinks per day (30g) for men, and two standard drinks for women.
Canada Guidelines for alcohol use: No more than 10 drinks a week for women, with no more than 2 drinks a day most days. No more than 15 drinks a week for men, with no more than 3 drinks a day most days.
Moderating Addiction 