How much is too much? And if you do not get drunk easily, is it all right to drink more? Medical professionals tell us how not to cross the line.

What is the recommended alcohol intake?
For men, it is 21 units a week, or no more than four units a day, while women should drink no more than 14 units a week or three units a day, said Dr Yang Wei Lyn, a
senior consultant gastroenterologist at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

One unit is equivalent to one can of beer, one glass of wine or one shot of liquor, said Dr Desmond Wai, a consultant gastroenterologist and hepatologist at the Asian Centre for Liver Diseases and Transplantation, Gleneagles Medical Centre.

Is it true that some alcohol is good for a person’s overall health and what amount is beneficial?
It is believed that alcoholic drinks have ingredients such as reservatrol in wine that help to increase the amount of good cholesterol, or high-density lipids, in the blood, said Dr Wai.

“It’s the famous French paradox – the French consume more wine than an average person yet they have a lower risk of heart disease,” he said.

However, he noted that the French have a higher incidence of alcohol-induced liver disease.

Three recent studies done in Italy and the United States that were published in the Journal Of The American College Of Cardiology in March revealed that light to moderate drinking daily – defined as one to three units of alcohol – may reduce heart disease. But if one lapses into heavy drinking, the detrimental effects far outweigh this benefit.

Will drinking after a meal reduce the likelihood of getting drunk?
Yes. This is because food will slow the stomach’s absorption of alcohol, said Dr Desmond Wai, a consultant gastroenterologist and hepatologist at the Asian Centre for Liver Diseases and Transplantation. He added that it is also advisable to drink slowly.

However, this does not reduce the adverse impact of alcohol on the liver, as it still has to process the same amount of alcohol.

The body takes about one hour to clear one unit of drink, he added. One unit is equivalent to one can of beer.

I don’t get drunk easily. Does it mean that it is all right for me to drink more than others?
A higher tolerance to alcohol does not mean one is less susceptible to health complications, said Dr Yang Wei Lyn, a senior consultant gastroenterologist at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

“Tolerance can be acquired over time – the more one drinks, the more tolerant to alcohol one will become,” she said.

In fact, such tolerance increases one’s risk to alcohol-induced diseases, she added.

Can I drive if I drink a little and am unlikely to exceed the blood alcohol legal limit of 80mg/100ml?
It is not advisable, as people have different levels of alcohol tolerance. Moreover, staying below the legal limit does not exonerate one from blame should there be a traffic accident, as one may be charged with drink-driving.

The legal limit of 80mg/100ml helps to define the condition of drunk-driving, where someone is driving in a state of intoxication.

However, drink-driving is different. If you get into a traffic accident, the mere presence of alcohol, even below the legal limit, may make you liable to be blamed, said Dr Wai.

I have a strong willpower. Does that mean I am able to control my drinking habit?
While most addictions involve the mind, physical effects are also involved, such as withdrawal symptoms, which willpower alone cannot overcome, said psychiatrist Chan Keen Loong, who heads the department of psychological wellness at Alexandra Hospital.

“It’s not a matter of having strong willpower or strength of character,” he said, adding that it may take major events like a medical problem or breakdown of family relations to get an individual to stop drinking.

“Sometimes, even these drastic events cannot get the individual to change,” he added.

How will I know if I have a drinking problem?
A good indicator is when someone spends so much time drinking that he neglects his usual activities
and responsibilities, said psychiatrist Tan Hwee Sim of the National Addictions Management Service at the Institute of Mental Health.

If the drinking is not too heavy yet, Associate Professor Munidasa Winslow, a psychiatrist at
Raffles Hospital, recommends keeping a diary of the amount of alcoholic drinks taken and at what
time.

Also, one may wish to enlist help from family and friends to keep one’s habit in check, he added.

“Don’t try to overcome addiction on your own, especially if you have tried and failed,” said Prof Winslow. “Don’t isolate yourself – the mind of an alcoholic is a dangerous place.”