Stats

• 2 glasses Dona Paula Los Cardos Malbec - home
• 1 pint Rainier - West 5

When I started this blog, I was curious to see how much I drank. I had never really counted before, or never cared, but I thought it would be an interesting concept/theme for a blog. I can't believe it's been a year since I began! This past month has been challenging to keep it updated however and I think back to the early part of the year when I really enjoyed writing, and had the time. I now feel rushed whenever I write and I'm not always happy with the result, and I am glad that I am coming to the end. I totalled up my drinks for each month and then averaged them. When coming up with the totals, I used the Standard Alcohol Equivalents - 12 oz. beer, 5 oz. wine, 1.5 oz. 80 proof alcohol. So two pints of beer (32 oz.) is really closer to 3 beers, and I counted it as such. Here is the year in review:

January: 107 drinks/31 days = 3.45
February: 97/29 = 3.34
March: 110/31 = 3.54
April: 93/30 = 3.1
May: 98/31 = 3.16
June: 96/30 = 3.2
July: 91/31 = 2.93
August: 56/31 = 1.8
September: 98/30 = 3.26
October: 97/31 = 3.12
November: 102/30 = 3.4
December: 132/31 = 4.25 (yikes!)

Year Total: 1,177/366 = 3.2

It's hard to imagine that I've averaged about three drinks a day this past year. The months that are higher than average are months where I've gone out at night and had way more than I should and that skews the average. Anyway...

There is general consensus that moderate drinking contains many health benefits. But what is considered moderate? The CDC (Center for Disease Control) posts this on it's site:

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There is no one definition of moderate drinking, but generally the term is used to describe a lower risk pattern of drinking. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans,¹ drinking in moderation is defined as having no more than 1 drink per day for women and no more than 2 drinks per day for men. This definition is referring to the amount consumed on any single day and is not intended as an average over several days.
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Heavier drinkers face complications from drinking, especially if the pattern continues over time. So anyway...