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Home >> The Facts About Drinking Alcohol

The Facts About Drinking Alcohol

1.0 Introduction

The alcohol we drink in beer, wine, spirits and other drinks is ethanol, produced from fruits, grains, and vegetables. All contain ethanol although the final concentration (percent alcohol by volume or ABV) varies by beverage.

To help you understand how much alcohol you are drinking governments around the world define how much alcohol is in a “standard” drink. Whether you drink beer, wine, or spirits, a “standard” drink contains the same amount of alcohol (in grams).

This section provides some facts about alcohol beverages and what the “standard drink” means to help you understand what you are drinking and how much.

1.1 What is alcohol?

All alcohol we drink, whether beer, wine, sake, baijiu, or spirits contain ethanol, an alcohol produced when fruits, vegetables, and grains are fermented. Beer is made from cereals, wine from grapes, and sake from rice.  Spirits can be made from many different ingredients and undergo an additional step of distillation to remove impurities and concentrate the ethanol.  But the alcohol in all these drinks is the same.

Some illegally produced or homemade beverages may contain other types of alcohol that can be toxic. Methanol (“wood alcohol”), for example, is involved in many cases of poisoning and can cause blindness and even be lethal.[i]

[i] Ashurst, J.V. & Nappe, T.M. Methanol toxicity. Treasure Island, FL: StatPearls Publishing, 2023.

Did you know ?

Whether you choose a glass of whisky, cognac, beer, or wine, all contain ethanol. Whatever drink you choose, drinking the same amount of ethanol will have the same effect on you.

Alcohol is always alcohol.

1.2 How much alcohol is in your drink?

Different drinks have different “strengths”. This refers to the amount of alcohol per liter of liquid.  It is expressed as percent alcohol by volume, or ABV, and varies by beverage type.

Governments in many countries officially define the amount of alcohol in a “standard” drink or serving.[i], [ii] This is the same for wine, beer and spirits.

This can help you to understand how much alcohol you drink, whatever beverage you choose.  As we will see later, “standard drinks” also help us to understand advice about drinking.

Did you know?

The concentration of alcohol varies by beverage: typically, 4.5% for beer, between 12% and 14% for wine, 40% for spirits, and between 30 and 60% for baijiu.

Because different size glasses are used to serve different drinks, the amount of alcohol in a standard drink is always the same.

Definitions of standard drinks are different in different countries. The most common definition is 10 grams of alcohol in a single serving of wine, beer, or spirits.

These definitions allow you to convert commonly served drink sizes into standard drinks and grams of alcohol. For example, a 10 g standard drink is equivalent to:

A half pint (250 ml) of beer (5% ABV)
A glass (100 ml) of wine (12% ABV)
A glass (30 ml) of spirits (40% ABV)

In Hong Kong, a standard drink is defined as containing 10 grams of ethanol, regardless of its size and ABV.

[i] Kalinowski A, Humphreys K. Governmental standard drink definitions and low-risk alcohol consumption guidelines in 37 countries. Addiction, 2016. 111:1293-8.

[ii]International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD). Drinking guidelines: general population. Washington, DC: IARD, 2022.

1.3 Is all alcohol the same?

Alcohol is always alcohol, whatever you choose to drink. If consumed in the same way, the effects on your behavior and your health are the same, whether you drink beer, wine, or spirits, and all can be misused.

This table will give you an idea of how much alcohol is contained in these drinks of different sizes and with different ABV.  The calculation reflects a 10-gram standard drink size.

Standard drinks in some common beverages

(based on a 10g standard drink size)

Type of drink
(size and ABV)
ABV (%) Grams of alcohol No. of 10-gram
standard drinks
(rounded)
Wine (white, rose, red)
(750ml bottle)
13.5 101.3 10
Wine (white, rose, red)
(175ml glass)
13.5 23.6 2.4
Wine (white, rose, red)
(750ml bottle)
12 90 9
Wine (white, rose, red)
(175ml glass)
12 21 2
Wine (white, rose, red)
(125ml glass)
12 15 1.5
Alcopop (275ml) 5.5 15 1.5
Lager, beer, cider
(330ml bottle)
5 16.5 1.7
Lager, beer, cider (pint)
(473ml)
5 23.7 2.4
Single shot of spirits
(30 ml)
40 12 1.2
Spirits
(750 ml bottle)
40 300 30
Sake "go"
(180ml)
15 27 2.7

The alcohol beverages you buy legally are made according to strict standards. This ensures that they do not contain harmful ingredients and that their ABV is always known.

Some of the alcohol consumed in Asia is informally produced without standards and oversight, and can harm or even kill you. Its alcohol content (ABV) may be very high, or it may contain harmful chemicals or be contaminated.[i][ii] Every year, many people around the world die after drinking these beverages.

You may not always be aware of what you are drinking, and it is important that you buy and accept alcohol only from people and places you trust.

[i] International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD). Alcohol in the shadow economy: Unregulated, untaxed, and potentially toxic. Washington, DC: IARD, 2018.

[ii]Lachenmeier, D.W. et al. The impact of unrecorded alcohol use on health: what do we know in 2020? J Stud Alcohol Drugs, 2021. 82: 28-41.

Did you know?

Illegally produced alcoholic drinks can be harmful to your health because they may contain:

  • More alcohol than similar legal products
  • Harmful chemicals and contaminants that have been added for flavor or strength
  • Methanol, which can cause blindness and even kill you

1.4 Alcohol in your diet

Many people drink beer, wine, and spirits with meals or on their own.  All alcohol contains calories.  Each gram of ethanol has about 7 Calories (kcal),[i] so a 10-gram standard drink contains about 70 Calories. The sugar in beer and wine also adds calories, as does mixing an alcohol beverage with juices or soft drinks, which makes the total caloric content higher. As a result, different beverages have a different total amount of calories, even if they are equivalent to a standard drink.[ii]

Other ingredients like vitamins and antioxidants are present in some alcohol beverages, but the amounts are very small in a typical drink.  Alcoholic drinks should never be consumed for their nutritional value or to enhance your health.

[i] Cederbaum, A.I. Alcohol metabolism. Clin Liver Dis, 2012. 16: 667-85.
[ii] Medline Plus. Calorie count – alcoholic beverages. 2024.

Test your knowledge (True or False)

Click on the card to see the result.
Alcohol drinks that are informally produced contain natural ingredients and are healthier and safer than those you buy in a shop.
Click to reveal
Alcohol drinks that are informally produced contain natural ingredients and are healthier and safer than those you buy in a shop.

False

Since there is no supervision of informal and home-produced alcohol and no guiding standards, some of these beverages may be unsafe. They may have a very high alcohol content (ABV) or include toxic and harmful ingredients and contamination.

Because beer contains less alcohol by volume than spirits, it does not have the same potential for misuse.
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Because beer contains less alcohol by volume than spirits, it does not have the same potential for misuse.

False

Alcohol is alcohol. A standard serving of beer, wine, and spirits each contains the same amount of alcohol and, if consumed in the same way, will have the same effect on the body. There are no ‘safer’ beverages, and all can be misused equally.

Some drinks contain ingredients that are also dietary supplements, but alcohol beverages should never be consumed to improve nutrition.
Click to reveal
Some drinks contain ingredients that are also dietary supplements, but alcohol beverages should never be consumed to improve nutrition.

True

While some beverages contain antioxidants and vitamins, these are present in low concentrations. The main active ingredient in alcohol-containing drinks is ethanol, and its effect on health in the most important factor. The potential harm from drinking high amounts of beer, wine, or spirits outweighs any possible benefit from these ingredients.

The amount of alcohol in a “standard” drink and is always equivalent to 10 grams of ethanol.
Click to reveal
The amount of alcohol in a “standard” drink and is always equivalent to 10 grams of ethanol.

False

There is no single standard drink definition. While a 10-gram standard is most common across countries, the size of a standard drink ranges from 8 to 20 grams.

Standard drinks are useful in helping to interpret health information and recommendations.
Click to reveal
Standard drinks are useful in helping to interpret health information and recommendations.

True

Drinking guidelines intended to help people avoid harm from drinking often provide consumption limits in terms of grams of alcohol. Being able to convert these into standard drinks helps consumers apply these recommendations to their own behavior.


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