How many glasses of wine and beer are not drunk?

Alcohol is an indirect cause of 200 types of illnesses, injuries and is a direct cause of at least 30 diseases. So how to drink to minimize the risk of health damage?

Dr Tran Quoc Bao, Department of Preventive Medicine, Ministry of Health said that the level of consumption of alcohol in Vietnam is currently ranked at a very high level: the second among Southeast Asian countries, 10th in Asia and 29th in the world. gender. Consumption level also increased rapidly. Men average 27.2l / person / year. In which, 1/4 of people drink at dangerous levels.

Alcohol is one of the top 10 causes of death in the world, of which 20% of deaths are caused by traffic accidents; 30% due to esophageal cancer, liver, epilepsy and murder; 50% due to cirrhosis; 3.3 million people die from alcohol-related worldwide.

How much is moderate?

Dr Bao said it was safe to drink alcohol. The consequences of alcohol use vary depending on age, gender, circumstances and ways of drinking. Some vulnerable individuals also have increased susceptibility to the toxicity, mental stimulation and addiction of alcohol. Scientific evidence suggests that drinking a very small amount of alcohol can also cause certain health risks and consequences.

Should not exceed 2 alcoholic drinks / day for men, 1 alcoholic unit / day for women.

Therefore, to minimize the risk, do not drink more than 2 alcoholic drinks / day for men, 1 alcoholic unit / day for women and no more than 5 days / week. One unit of alcohol equals 10 grams of pure alcohol in drinking water, which is equivalent to 3/4 bottles of 330ml beer (5%), 1 glass of 100ml wine (13.5%), 1 beer Fresh 330ml or a cup of spirits 30ml (40%).

If available , control the amount of drinking. Slowly drink, combine to eat and drink, alternating with filtered water.

According to the Department of Preventive Medicine, there are also some opinions that if drinking beer is less harmful to health than drinking alcohol. This is a misconception because the harm is mainly caused by alcohol (ethanol) in beverages, so the harm caused by alcohol does not depend on the type of drink (beer or wine) but depends on the amount of drinking (how many grams of alcohol are consumed) and how to drink (frequency of use).

Another concern is that alcohol induced dependence makes people unable to control their own drinking behavior. Alcohol is an addictive psychotropic substance if taken regularly will make the drinker increase the dose and reuse it.

In the upcoming traditional Tet holiday, in order to protect people's health, prevent risks of diseases, dangerous accidents and other social consequences, the Preventive Medicine Department strongly recommends that people should not abuse. use alcohol, especially not drink when participating in the control of vehicles, when operating machinery, pregnant or nursing, treating drugs that are reacting to alcohol or having medical conditions Avoid alcoholic beverages.

No level of drinking alcohol is safe.

The more dangerous thing is that in our country, there are over 80% of handmade alcohol containing toxic substances exceeding the permitted content such as: Aldehyd, methanol, especially Furfurol born in wine production with technology low. This is a very toxic substance for the circulatory, respiratory and neurological apparatus. It is the cause of many diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, dementia and fetal malformations. Therefore, alcohol standards must be negative for furfurol.

Excessive aldehydes will also cause chronic neurological poisoning, limb tremors, headache, memory loss. The Department of Public Health's 2015 non-communicable risk factor survey found that among men who drank alcohol in the past week, 64% had consumed self-made, self-prepared alcohol.

Alcohol is an indirect cause of 200 types of illnesses, injuries and is a direct cause of at least 30 diseases.

• RL psychosis : severe mental RL, alcohol withdrawal syndrome: epilepsy, depression, anxiety, reduced thinking ability, learning in adolescents.
• Carcinogenicity : Alcohol and ethanol are organized for cancer in group of carcinogens: oral cavity, throat, larynx, esophagus, colorectal, liver and breast cancer in women.
• Cardiovascular disease : Using alcohol to a large extent increases the risk of heart attack, stroke and exacerbates hypertension.
• Diabetes mellitus : Increases the risk of disease / makes it worse if you drink a lot.
• Impact on the fetus : Pregnant women who drink alcohol can make babies born with deformities, developmental delay, nervous system damage.
• Gastrointestinal diseases : Liver damage, cirrhosis, aggravating the damage caused by hepatitis C virus, acute / chronic pancreatitis.
• Immune system damage : Impaired immune system leading to risk of infectious diseases (tuberculosis, pneumonia, HIV).