Rethinking Drinking

A single drink may not be as much as you think. Below is a graph of what a standard drink may look like.

Beer, Wine, and Liquor

According to Rethinking Drinking, “In the United States, a “standard drink” (also known as an alcoholic drink equivalent) is defined as any drink that contains about 0.6 fluid ounces or 14 grams of pure alcohol.” A standard drink can include 12 fluid ounces of beer with a 5% alcohol volume, 5 fluid ounces of wine with about 12% alcohol volume, 1.5 fluid ounces of distilled spirits with a 40% alcohol volume. Distilled spirits can include tequila, vodka, gin, rum, whiskey, etc.

Remember, keep in mind that the amount or fluid ounces or volume of a drink will change depending on the strength of the beer, wine, or spirit. Also, the state of Wyoming has the second highest cost for beer. As a Wyoming resident you pay on average 30% more than the rest of the nation for that beer. Drinking can add up, make sure you think before you drink.

Alcohol Spending Calculator

Above is a link to a website that provides information on drinking statistics. The alcohol spending calculator well ask you three questions in order to estimate the average amount of money you spend in a week, month, and year. The questions they ask are: On average, how many days per week do you drink alcohol? On a typical drinking day, how many drinks do you have? What's the average price per drink?

Thinking about a change? Tips to try:

Keep track

Count and measure

Set goals

Plan to handle urges

Avoid triggers

For more information about drinking guidelines and figuring out how much alcohol is in a drink. Go to rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov

If you have questions or would like to request additional information on prevention resources in Sweetwater County contact Andrew Hagemann or Shae Bell at (307) 352-6677 or email sweetwatercoprevention@gmail.com.