Health Pages

Drinking Diary

Drinking Diary

To help you reach your goal, keep a diary of your drinking. For example, write down every time you have a drink for 1 week. Try to keep your diary for 3 or 4 weeks. This will show you how much you drink and when. You may be surprised. How different is your goal from the amount you drink now? Use the drinking diary below to write down when you drink.

Now you know why you want to drink less and you have a goal. There are many ways you can help yourself to cut down.

People who have milder forms of alcohol abuse or dependence and are unwilling to abstain may be successful at cutting down alcohol use and some of them may recover with little or no treatment.

A drink is:

  • a 12-ounce bottle of beer;
  • a 5-ounce glass of wine; or
  • a 1½-ounce shot of liquor.

These limits may be too high for some people who have certain medical problems, use medications, or who are older. Talk with your doctor about the limit that is right for you. Check drink equivalents below.


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Our pages are created to provide medically accurate information that is intended to complement, not replace or substitute in any way the services of your physician. Any application of the recommendations set forth in the following pages is at the reader's discretion and sole risk. Before undergoing medical treatment, you should consult with your doctor, who can best assess your individual needs, symptoms and treatment.



Alcohol causes the pancreas to produce toxic
substances that can eventually lead to a dangerous
inflammation of pancreas and severe pancreatitis.
Drinking a lot on a single occasion slows
body’s ability to ward off infections
even up to 24 hours after getting drunk.

Binge Drinking

A “binge” is a pattern of drinking alcohol that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 gram percent or above. For the typical adult, this pattern corresponds to consuming 5 or more drinks (male), or 4 or more drinks (female), in about 2 hours. Binge drinking is clearly dangerous for the drinker and for society. For some individuals (e.g., older people or people taking other drugs or certain medications), the number of drinks needed to reach a binge­level BAC is lower than for the "typical adult".