A nurse is counseling a client about safe alcohol use. Which statement about alcohol is CORRECT?

MODERATE ALCOHOL USE — per NIAAA and USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans: up to 1 standard drink per day for women; up to 2 standard drinks per day for men. A STANDARD DRINK = 14 grams of pure alcohol = 12 oz regular beer (5% ABV); 5 oz wine (12% ABV); 1.5 oz distilled spirits (40% ABV).

Note: the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines note that people who do not drink should not start for any perceived health benefit; even moderate drinking carries cancer risk (particularly breast cancer).

Binge drinking: 4+ drinks for women or 5+ drinks for men in about 2 hours, raising blood alcohol to ≥0.08 g/dL.

Heavy drinking: more than 4 drinks any day or 14 per week for men; more than 3 any day or 7 per week for women.

Health risks of heavy drinking: liver disease (fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis); pancreatitis; certain cancers (mouth, throat, esophagus, liver, colon, breast); cardiomyopathy; hypertension; peripheral neuropathy; Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (thiamine deficiency from poor nutrition); sexual dysfunction; depression and anxiety; addiction (alcohol use disorder).

Alcohol and pregnancy: NO amount of alcohol is known to be safe during pregnancy; alcohol is a teratogen causing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), including fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) — characterized by facial abnormalities, growth restriction, and neurodevelopmental problems.

Alcohol and sleep: alcohol may help fall asleep but disrupts REM sleep, resulting in poor sleep quality and daytime fatigue.

Alcohol and medications: many drug-alcohol interactions; particularly dangerous with: CNS depressants (benzodiazepines, opioids, sleeping pills), metronidazole, metformin, acetaminophen (hepatotoxicity risk). CAGE QUESTIONNAIRE and AUDIT are brief screening tools for problematic drinking.