Another important parameter to consider is body mass: the “harmless” amount per kilo is therefore different depending on the body structure.In the same category there are two different genetic types of metabolizing alcohol widespread in the population: there are those who metabolize it very quickly and therefore have the ability to tolerate a greater amount of alcohol and those who metabolize it more slowly, for example.
It is certainly true a statement that derives from popular tradition and which maintains that the system of metabolizing alcohol can be somehow “trained”: this explains why a modest amount of alcohol in the first drinker (the boy who never has drunk) can be very toxic and lead to acute alcoholic hepatitis.
There are also two types of alcohol abuse
Acute abuse, that is, the intake of a large amount of alcohol at one time; chronic abuse, the situation of those who constantly drink an excessive dose of alcohol.
- It should be emphasized that our body does not care whether or not the alcohol we take is mixed in different drinks or is taken on an empty stomach or during lunch.
- The important thing is, as we have said, the quantity.
- It is logical that drinking on an empty stomach is more harmful, as the action of alcohol is found directly on the stomach and intestines, and the euphoric effects are greater “.
“Taking into consideration a healthy person of average build (to try to provide indications it is essential to generalize), he can be considered a light drinker - and therefore a person who drinks in a healthy way and who does not encounter problems deriving from alcohol intake - those who drink from 0 to 20-30 grams of pure alcohol per day (for example two glasses of wine or two 0.33 cl cans of beer or a glass of spirits).
From the point of view of the effects of alcohol on health, the light drinker can therefore be assimilated to abstainer.However, there is a loading problem: the alcohol dose indicated above should be diluted in 24 hours and not taken all together.
When you exceed 30 grams (for example half a liter of wine) you enter the category of the moderate drinker, where many people have no problems. Here a distinction must be made between the sexes: the moderate drinker is the man who takes up to 40 grams of alcohol per day, while the woman must be considered a moderate drinker already when it reaches 30 grams.
The strong man drinker is the one who takes between 40 and 80 grams of alcohol daily (between half a liter and a liter of wine); for the woman the quantity that the strong drinker qualifies is less, 50 grams of alcohol are enough.
Beyond these data we enter the category of excessive drinker
The important thing to point out is that, as I think it becomes clear, we are not talking about people getting drunk. We are not talking about the euphoric effect due to the intake, even occasionally, of an excessive amount of alcohol.
What we are underlining is how simple it is to overcome, even on a daily basis, the limits indicated above and therefore fall into the class of moderate or even heavy drinkers. Just think of how many times it happens to have an aperitif, then drink wine at the table and end the day with a bitter or a spirit.
- This is how easy it is to fall into the categories of risk: risk that is greater the more you move into the different classes of moderate, strong and excessive drinkers.
- 90% of the adult Italian population consumes alcohol, of which 8.3% falls into the category of heavy drinkers, 2.5% is considered a problem drinker, with behavioral problems related to alcohol consumption, or chronic alcoholic.
- 40-50% of Italians who drink alcohol have health problems, 10% of men and 5% of women have behavioral problems.