These days, having a “drink” can be deceiving. The alcohol content can vary drastically from one drink to the next.

A standard drink is any beverage that contains 14g (0.6) of pure alcohol. Amounts vary depending on the percentage of Alcohol by Volume (ABV).

Blood alcohol concentration levels for 6 drinks within 12 hours can differ greatly depending on drinking behavior and individual metabolism.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines binge drinking as a pattern of drinking that brings a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 grams percent or above. This typically happens when men consume 5 or more drinks and when women consume 4 or more drinks in about 2 hours.

The Bottom Line

Self-report screening of maternal drinking during pregnancy is currently the standard test for monitoring maternal alcohol consumption and identifying alcohol-exposed newborns. However, misinformation on what defines binge drinking means self-report may not be reliable.

Alcohol biomarkers can be used as objective measurements for monitoring maternal alcohol consumption and screening for prenatal alcohol exposure.

Learn More About Alcohol Biomarker Testing

We are here to clear up some of the confusion that can surround the issue of alcohol biomarker detection and to give you the answers you need.

Contact us if you have questions or inquiries about our process or procedures. Please call 847.375.0770. Have a question but don’t want to reach out? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section, where you’ll find answers to common and not-so-common questions. 

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