“I only had a couple of drinks.” or “We each had a drink and then split a bottle of wine.” These statements are common, and often the speaker is baffled after being pulled over for a DUI or having a hangover in the morning. One of the contributing factors is the lack of awareness of what’s in “a” drink. Each of the following quantities equals 1 drink:
- a 5 ounce glass of wine
- a 12 ounce beer
- 1.5 ounces (a shot) of 80-proof distilled spirits (scotch, gin, vodka)
This means that common drinks people serve and/or consume often contain more than one drink as follows:
- a margarita = 3-4 drinks
- a martini = 2-3 drinks
- a scotch on the rocks = 2-3 drinks
- a standard bottle of table wine = 5 drinks.
Awareness is half the battle. Try measuring these quantities in your favorite shaped drink glass or common-shaped restaurant glasses to get the visual of what “a” drink looks like (5 ounces of wine is a lot smaller than you may think). When you’re at a banquet or party, decline “refills” of your glass until you’ve finished so that you know how much you are really drinking. Understanding what’s in “a” drink and staying within safe drinking limits can help you avoid the consequences of over-drinking and know when to decline a ride from someone who’s “only had a ‘couple’.”
