Standard drink
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A standard drink is a notional drink that contains a specified amount of pure alcohol. The standard drink is used in many countries to quantify alcohol intake. It is usually expressed as a certain measure of beer, wine, or spirits. One standard drink always contains the same amount of alcohol regardless of the container size or the type of alcoholic beverage.
The amount of alcohol in a standard drink varies significantly from country to country, from 7.62 ml (6 g) of alcohol in Austria to as high as 25 ml (19.75 g) in Japan.
A standard drink does not necessarily correspond to the typical serving size in the country in which it is served.
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[edit] Pure alcohol measure
A related measure, the unit of alcohol, is used in the United Kingdom, where the number of such units contained in a typical serving of an alcoholic beverage is publicised and printed on bottles. For example, a typical drink of 1 pint of ale of 5% alcohol by volume contains 2.8 units of alcohol.
[edit] Standard drinks as defined by various countries
The amount of alcohol is stated in the table in both grams and millilitres. The number of standard drinks contained in 500ml of beer of 5% ABV (a typical large drink of beer) is stated for comparison.[1]
| Country | Mass (g) | Volume (ml) | 500 ml beer contains |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia[2] | 10 | 12.7 | 2.0 s.drinks |
| Austria | 6 | 7.62 | 3.2 s.drinks |
| Canada[3] | 13.5 | 17.1 | 1.5 s.drinks |
| Denmark | 12 | 15.2 | 1.6 s.drinks |
| Finland[4] | 12 | 15.2 | 1.6 s.drinks |
| France | 12 | 15.2 | 1.6 s.drinks |
| Hungary | 17 | 21.5 | 1.2 s.drinks |
| Iceland[5] | 8 | 10 | 2.5 s.drinks |
| Ireland | 10 | 12.7 | 2.0 s.drinks |
| Italy | 10 | 12.7 | 2.0 s.drinks |
| Japan | 19.75 | 25 | 1.0 s.drinks |
| Netherlands | 9.9 | 12.5 | 2.0 s.drinks |
| New Zealand[6] | 10 | 12.7 | 2.0 s.drinks |
| Poland | 10 | 12.7 | 2.0 s.drinks |
| Portugal | 14 | 17.7 | 1.4 s.drinks |
| Spain | 10 | 12.7 | 2.0 s.drinks |
| UK | 7.9 | 10 | 2.5 s.drinks |
| USA[7] | 14 | 17.7[n 1] | 1.4 s.drinks |
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- ^ ICAP Report 5 - "What is a 'standard drink'". URL:[1]. Accessed on June 19, 2008.
- ^ Population Health Division, Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing The Australian Standard Drink
- ^ Canadian Public Health Association. drinkingfacts.ca. URL: http://www.drinkingfacts.ca/english/downloads/facts.pdf. Accessed on: October 10, 2007.
- ^ paihdelinkki.fi, How to use alcohol wisely
- ^ Landlæknisembættið, Icelandic Directorate of Health [2]
- ^ New Zealand Food Safety Authority [3]
- ^ "Alcohol and Public Health: Frequently Asked Questions". CDC. http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/faqs.htm#standDrink. Retrieved 2011-10-17.
