For what it's worth, the UK defines things a bit more sensibly. They base their results on the quantity of alcohol that begins to affect long-term health.

- For men, no more than 4cl of alcohol per day.

- For women, no more than 3cl of alcohol per day.

In Europe, lots of people drink something alcoholic every day. In southern Germany, having a beer with lunch is pretty normal. In France, a glass of wine with dinner. Personally, I have a whisky every evening while watching the news.

That said, the CDC defines problem drinking quite reasonably: "Drinking is a problem if it causes trouble in your relationships, in school, in social activities, or in how you think and feel."

Let's think about this for a moment. That's one drink a month.

Now, let's hope the CDC doesn't use this definition of "regular" to define bowl habits.

I would say a drink a day is "regular." As in, regularly having a drink with your meal.

The CDC's definition is the same as (about) 0.033 drinks per day being "regular." Unless I'm mistaken, that's about the amount of wine one might get at a Catholic Mass.

I guess we'd better watch out for all those closet Catholics.

Women who drink 1 or 2 beers a day have higher bone density than teetotalers or less frequent drinkers (it's the silica). 1-2 glasses of wine a day is good for you, too. So......it's my duty to my health to stay tipsy!

We go to an Episcopalian church, they use wine. So once a weekish (I'm not so good about getting there as I'd like to be) all my kids have a little drink o wine. Call AA!

That's nothing.

Scientists have recently determined that if you're creative, you're probably crazy.

http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/medicine_health/link_creativity_mental_illness_confirmed_203837.html

So if I quit today, I'll still be an alcoholic well into the next century...

I don't drink anymore... and I don't drink any less.

Mo4 - silica? Silicon dioxide, really?

No. Look it up.

Hmm. So ... practicing Jews have wine on the Sabbath. Practicing Catholics regularly take communion with wine. Smaller than a full glass, granted, but many do this weekly. So does that make every Jew and Catholic in the country a regular drinker?

You drink for the alcohol just like hemp-heads smoke for the THC. No alcohol and you wouldn't drink beer, wine and the like. Once a month is still regular use of alcohol.

Amy, so you are happy with driving when you have been drinking, just not drunk? I feel so safe with people on the road who have been drinking and only blow a .06, safely under the arrest limit, but by no means unimpaired.

Jay J,

I would agree, if the definition was once a month. However, 12 times in the prior 12 months isn't quite the same.

I know many people who don't drink in their own homes, but will have a glass at a wedding, holiday party, etc. So, if they go to 6 personal events and 6 holiday events (New Year's, Christmas, etc) but don't drink otherwise, this defines them as regular. I'd just say "popular."

Amy, so you are happy with driving when you have been drinking, just not drunk? I feel so safe with people on the road who have been drinking and only blow a .06, safely under the arrest limit, but by no means unimpaired. -- Jay J. Hector at October 20, 2012 3:41 PM

You are also not accounting for tolerance and age.

A person that is 40+, has experienced some life, is 6' and 250 pounds and has had two drinks is a lot different than a 21 year old, 120 pound that has never had a drink before.

The difference between .10 and .08 is for the amount of money the DUI system makes -- not the actual safety of the driving public.

Hmm, an argument about impairment.

How much weed, coke, heroin or meth do you have to do to be "impaired"?

Want drugs legalized? Name those standards and produce the tests.

@Jay: A bit of alcohol may slow the reactions. So does tired at the end of the day. Or being a distracted by listening to a radio talk show. Or thinking about problems at work or at home. Or any of a million other things.

You sound like a safety freaks. So: let's limit BAC to 0.0%, outlaw driving while tired, remove radios from cars, not allow the passengers to talk with the driver, etc., etc.

Alternatively, we could just be realistic, and insist on a reasonable standard of safety. If I drink a beer after work, before driving home, it's really none of your business. Heck, if it makes you feel better, I may be a safer driver, for having de-stressed after a long day at work.

>>Want drugs legalized? Name those standards and produce the tests.

How much nicotine, caffeine or cold medicine does it take to impair your driving? Make those things illegal quick, because we don't have any standards or tests to protect us from drivers under their influence.

The real problem with the "standards and tests" argument is that they do not prove impairment, they are there solely so the police can arrest you and make the charge stick. They have little to nothing to do with public safety. Public safety can be addressed by,"hey that guy is weaving, pull him over." Not by, "I pulled you over because your tail light is out and hey I think your eyes are a little dilated, take this test so I can arrest you and make it stick regardless of whether you are actually impaired or not."

Dietary silicon, sorry. Shouldn't have relied on memory for something I read a few years ago. The point remains.

Assholio - first, you used "two wrongs", then you used a "straw man". Both are fallacies. I want you to tell me how to screen the handlers of Plutonium and other fissile materials for drug use.

Yes, it matters.

Shit, I'm a downright drunk according to this.

I generally have at least glass of wine a day either with dinner or after rehearsal while winding down. I also regularly enjoy a couple of glasses when out with friends. In fact, if I am ever not drinking wine when out with friends, I am usually met with a barrage of questions about whether I am feeling okay.

Frankly, me without coffee is more of a public health threat than my glass of Pinot Noir a day "habit". Come to think of it, me without wine might be considered a public health threat, too; It's the only down time I get and I greatly look forward to it. I don't smoke. I don't eat bad food. I don't do any sort of other than the occasional asprin, Clariton, or prescribed anti-biotic. I am in great shape and perfectly healthy. Wine and coffee are my only vices. If anyone tries to take them from me, however, their health may be in serious question.

Let me re-try....
I don't do any sort of DRUGS other than the occasional asprin, Clariton, or prescribed anti-biotic.

Dang...

You're all missing the point. The point is not to define reasonable health standards. The point is to punish Americans for enjoying a high standard of living. That's what motivates most of what government, and the self-appointed leadership class, does today.

"You drink for the alcohol just like hemp-heads smoke for the THC. No alcohol and you wouldn't drink beer, wine and the like." -Jay J

Actually, that's not always true. My father-in-law drinks Busch NA, exclusively. I think it's completely gross (but I think beer is gross too!), but that's what he likes! He actually brings that stuff to our house when he visits because he doesn't drink anything else.