HAMS defines moderate drinking limits as follows:

FOR MEN: No more than 4 standard drinks per day and no more than 12 standard drinks per week

FOR WOMEN: No more than 2 and 1/2 standard drinks per day and no more than 7 and 1/2 standard drinks per week.

Your first question may be: Why the sex discrimination? The fact is that the digestive tract of women contains less of the enzyme which breaks down alcohol than that of men does. This means that when men and women drink the same quantity of alcohol the blood alcohol content (BAC) of the woman will be higher than that of the man. In other words the same quantity of alcohol will make a woman more intoxicated than a man. Excessive quantities of alcohol also tend to cause more organ damage to a woman than to a man.

HAMS bases these limits based on data taken from several pieces of published research including the USDA, the NIAAA, ICAP and the Addiction Research Foundation (ARF).

Beware of bar drinks--many bars have heavy pours and a bar drink is often two or three or even four standard drinks.

A split of wine (375 ml, a half bottle, sometimes called a "demi") contains two and a half standard drinks.

A standard bottle of wine (750 ml) contains five standard drinks.

A 12 oz beer at regular strength (5% alcohol) is one standard drink.

A "half pint" of 80 proof booze (200 ml at 40%) is 4 standard drinks.

For more info about other amounts and percentages see the HAMS Drink Converter.

A woman can have three splits of wine a week and still remain within moderate limits by the HAMS definition.

A man can have 12 beers a week--or three "half pints" of booze and remain within moderate limits.

HAMS uses the term Harm Reduction to refer to people who exceed moderate drinking limits. HAMS considers Harm Reduction a completely legitimate goal for people who drink alcohol--no better or no worse than Moderate Drinking or Alcohol Abstinence.