Warmer days are here, which means spending more time outside enjoying picnics, boating on the lake, barbeques and other celebrations. Alcohol is often included in many of these activities.
If alcohol could play a part in this summer’s plans, the MHealthy Alcohol Management Program offers resources to help keep intake in a safer range or offer alternatives to alcohol.
The Centers for Disease Control recommends no more than one alcoholic drink per day for women, and no more than two drinks per day for men. For men and women over the age of 65, the recommendation is no more than one alcoholic drink per day.
In the U.S. a “standard” drink is any drink that contains about 14 grams of “pure” alcohol. That’s equivalent to approximately 12 ounces of regular beer, a five-ounce glass of wine, or 1.5 ounces of liquor.
The U-M community can access the following alcohol management resources anytime:
- Updated Summer Alcohol I.Q. Challenge — Take this quick, five-question quiz and learn about misconceptions, the effect alcohol can have on an individual’s health, and more. Faculty and staff who take the challenge by July 31 can enter to win one of five $10 Amazon gift cards.
- “Mocktail” recipes — Consider alternating one alcoholic drink with water, juice or one of these non-alcoholic, low-calorie beverages.
- Printable tracking diary — Tracking when, why, and with whom drinking occurs gives a closer look at drinking patterns and habits.
- Tips on drinking at a safer, lower risk range, or to help make abstaining from alcohol easier.
- Alcohol Management Program — This brief, confidential health education program is free to U-M faculty, staff and retirees with mild to moderate alcohol problems. Talk to an expert one-on-one, choose whether to cut back or quit drinking altogether, and learn healthier drinking habits. Participate in-person or by phone at 734-998-2017.
