Alcohol Czar for President Biden Warns Drinking Rules Could Move ‘Toward Canada,’ Recommending to Drink Less Than Two Beers per Week
(Photo: Fred Moon)
Currently, in the US, it is recommended for men to have 2 drinks or less in a day and 1 drink or less in a day for women. However, according to a recent interview with Dr. George Koob the Director of the National Institute on Abuse and Alcoholism, there could be a dramatic change in how the American government views drinking alcohol. The new rules that will be released in 2025 could suggest people limit drinking to as little as 2 beers per week.
Dr. Koob is considered an expert on alcohol and stress along with the neurobiology of alcohol addiction. He was appointed director in 2014 and apparently enjoys two glasses of white wine per week and typically reaches for a “buttery Californian Chardonnay.” Koob hinted that the US could mimic Canada in its future guidelines on drinking.
“If there’s health benefits, I think people will start to re-evaluate where we’re at,” Koob told DailyMail. “So, if [alcohol consumption guidelines] go in any direction, it would be toward Canada.”
In the US, a standard drink or one alcoholic drink equivalent is considered any beverage containing 0.6 fl oz or 14 grams of pure alcohol. This standard equates to one 12-ounce can of beer at 5% ABV, a 5-ounce glass of wine at 12% ABV, or 1.5 ounces of spirit like rum, whiskey, gin and tequila at 40% ABV.
In January of this year, Canada did an overhaul on its alcohol guidelines which was the first update in 11 years. The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction released a report recommending that people should drink less than two standard alcoholic beverages per week.
Dr. Koob said he is watching the Candian experiment closely and advised that alcohol provides no benefit to physical health.
“Most of the benefits people attribute to alcohol, we feel they really have more to do with what someone’s eating rather than what they’re drinking,” explained Dr. Koob. “So it really has to do with the Mediterranean diet, socio-economic status, that makes you able to afford that kind of diet, and make your own fresh food and so forth.
“With this in mind, most of the benefits kind of disappear on the health side.”
Although, he could not deny alcohol’s social benefits since it acts as a “social lubricant.”
Canada has been taking action to reduce the amount people drink. Earlier this year our neighbors to the north announced plans to implement the highest alcohol tax increase in Canadian history.
If the federal government is using Canada as an example for its alcohol policies this could mean a push for higher alcohol taxes in the future.
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