12 ounce can contains 8 standard alcohol drinks.
Ever thought of a standard alcohol drink label? Probably not, but here’s why you might think they’d be a good idea.
We’ll start with the new can in town. It’s a 12-ounce can of 3-year old Blended Scotch Whisky from Scottish Spirits Imports, Inc. Each non-re-sealable, 12-ounce can (which looks exactly like a 12-ounce beer can, by the way) contains eight standard drinks (though in fairness to the company, they do provide a re-sealable latex cap with each can). Considering that binge drinking for men [the amount of alcohol that can get you into trouble] is five or more standard drinks per occasion and for women it’s four or more, that’s a lot of standard drinks in one small container.
But it’s not just the new Scotch in a Can.
Take a margarita, for example. It may contain two to three “standard drinks.” A 24-ounce can of regular beer contains two, and a bottle of table wine contains five. This means a person having a margarita and sharing a bottle of wine may believe they’ve only had a “couple” when in reality they’ve had four to six [there’s that binge drinking number, again].
Where am I going with all this?
What to Include on a Standard Alcohol Drink Label
I’m advocating we add five simple words to alcoholic drink and beverage container labels:
“Contains Approximately 8 Standard Drinks.”
It could even be shortened to two simple words:
“Drinks = 8.”
Why?
Consider this. We can easily read a food package label to find out how many trans-fats are in a serving of cheese or how many calories are in a serving of pasta, yet nowhere can we find how many standard drinks are in a particular drink or drink container.
For those of us who choose to drink alcohol and want to keep our number of drinks within the health and safety limits, we need information. As I’ve learned, measuring alcohol consumption is less about the number of glasses than it is about the number of standard drinks in each glass.
Five ounces of table wine, 12 ounces of beer and 1.5 ounces of 80-proof hard liquor (scotch, vodka, gin, bourbon) are all the equivalent of one standard drink. If you like malt liquors (ale and lager beers, for example), it’s only 8-9 ounces (less than a regular can of beer).
Thus, a Long Island Iced Tea at one location could contain two to three standard drinks, and a couple of stiff vodkas-on-the-rocks at another could put a woman into the binge-drinking category.
If it’s important enough to tell consumers about trans-fats and calories, it should be equally important to tell them about their alcohol intake. After all, a lifetime of trans-fats may shorten your life span measurably, but one night of heavy (binge) drinking and the embarrassing, hurtful or dangerous behaviors that can occur could adversely change a life forever.
How Hard Would it Be – Standard Alcohol Drink Labels?
It really wouldn’t take much – just two to five words – to expand the alcoholic beverage labels to include the number of standard alcohol drinks per container or serving. We could even ask restaurants and bars to do the same on their menus.
Yes, it would require a slight label modification, but it would not require beverage companies to re-tool their bottling plants or bartenders to change their drink concoctions. Yes, it would mean all bartenders have to pour their drinks as their establishment has labeled them; just like packaged food serving contents must meet their labels. And, yes, some people won’t want to know how much they’re drinking — just like some people don’t want to know how many calories are in the bag of chips they eat.
But with a standard alcohol drink label, the person who wants to keep it to “a drink or two” will know to skip the margarita if they plan to share a bottle of wine. And the person sharing the Scotch in a Can with a friend on a picnic will know to use the “re-sealable latex cap.” You can see where this can go — friends won’t accept rides with friends who’ve had “a couple” of Long Island Iced Teas during happy hour and instead insist they take a cab, spouses will let go of ”being right” in an argument with the one who’s had most of the bottle of wine at dinner after cocktails before…. Just two to five words is all it might take to change a mind, save a life, protect a relationship. Sure seems worth it to me.
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Holy cow I had no idea some of these issues with labeling existed!!! Thanks for pointing this out – I will be more conscientious from now on for sure!
So glad it helped. Thanks for reading and adding your comment, Michelle!
Wow..I had no idea. Thanks for the information, which I am tweeting to my followers, and for your great suggestion of adding the information to the label. I am with you, sister, and will repost and retweet whatever you put out on this!
Wonderful!!! Thank you so much, Meryl, for helping to spread the word!
Interesting labelling info. Always best to be informed!!
Thanks, Catherine, for reading and adding your comment.
It makes so much sense to have proper labelling. Everyone could benefit! In the UK there is an aim to have better labelling too. By 2013 80% of alcohol labelling should include guidelines for lower-risk consumption, the amount of units of alcohol and a pregnancy warning.
Like you point out Lisa – it could take only a couple of words to save a life!
That’s wonderful that UK labeling will include the units of alcohol per serving, as well as the lower-risk consumption guidelines. Often people get into trouble with alcohol because they don’t really know how much is low-risk. They wait until they feel it, which of course, is too late. Having a number – a target – really seems to help. Thanks for adding your comment, Carolyn!
I think it is great to keep people informed, as then they have a better stand to make the right choice. Thanks again for such a great information.
You’re so welcome. Thanks for reading and adding your comment, Solvita!
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for sharing this important information. It is something that many people don’t think about when they have a drink. The idea of labeling is a good one. It could make such a difference. Take care.
Thanks so much for reading and adding your comment, Cathy!! Take care.
[...] that I will be giving with Shelley Richanbach of Next Steps for Women, and Lisa Frederiksen of Breaking the Cycles – Changing the Conversations. Shelly is a Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor; a Certified Wellness Recovery Action Plan [...]
Thanks for the article. I like what you had to say. I think two things.
One: Alcohol bottle/can labels should be able to be designed to be appealing and ‘nice’ looking
Two: Advertisements of any kind should not be made to target young people when the product they represent is made for adults and considered unsafe when abused or used by young people.
My two cents. I got clean and sober when I was 17. I have been sober for the last 8 years. If you are looking for help then check out the New Life House webs tie. That is where I got help with my addiction. http://www.newlifehouse.com
Thanks so much for adding your comment and sharing the link to the program that worked for you. Congratulations on your sobriety and for getting sober at 17 — wonderful!!
Amazing… I had never heard of scotch in a can! I love your idea of adding how many standard drinks in a can. Folks need to be informed! Thanks!
Thanks, Lisa, and it wouldn’t be too difficult to do, I wouldn’t’ think. The benefits would be huge! Thanks for adding your comment.
That packaging is really insidious, Lisa, because it wipes out all the measurement triggers people normally use to keep track of what they’re drinking. (That is, pouring out of a scotch bottle, for example.) Wow.
I agree — it really is something else! Thanks for adding your comment, Sharon!
Wow Lisa. I’m not a drinker, but still thanks for sharing vital information. Scotch in a can now? Interesting.
Thank you for reading and adding your comment, Carol!!