In this month of “Dry January” or “Janvier sec”, an English operation which consists in not drinking a drop of alcohol during the month of January, the government encourages you to take stock of your alcohol consumption . Although the Élysée Palace requested the cancellation of this “January Challenge”, last November, the public health agency France Public Health developed a new alcohol meter to be made online on the Alcool Info Service website . His goal ? Evaluate his weekly consumption of alcohol, raise awareness of the possible health risks of alcoholic beverages and encourage the French to reflect on their own consumption.
Alcoholometer: consumption benchmarks
This tool is simple, fast, practical and reliable. The test includes questions about gender, age, weight, alcohol consumption in the past week and the budget spent on these alcoholic drinks. In just a few minutes, the test assesses your alcohol consumption and reveals whether it is above or below the consumption benchmarks. It then compares your result to that of other women or men of the same age and according to the amount and average frequency of alcohol consumed per day. The benchmark for consumption, according to the alcohol meter, is “maximum two drinks in one day and not every day”.
The alcoholometer alerts you to the risks of cancer
According to your answers, your alcohol consumption may be zero, reasoned below the consumption benchmarks or excessive. The test warns consumers, who have exceeded consumption benchmarks, about the risks to health. Breast cancer after menopause for women, cancer of the mouth , pharynx and larynx, esophageal cancer , colorectal cancer , liver cancer , cell toxicity, weight gain , significant expenditures … The test prompts not only to become aware of your relationship with alcohol but also encourages you to reflect on your consumption and to change it if necessary to prevent the risk of cancer.
The alcoholometer’s recommendations
To limit the risks for your health , the alcoholometer recommends not to consume “more than 10 standard glasses per week” , “more than two glasses per day” and advises “to have days in the week without consumption” . In addition, the test recommends “reducing the total amount of alcohol consumed on each occasion” , “drinking slowly, eating and alternating with water” , “avoiding places and activities at risk” . Most importantly, “make sure you have people you know near you and that you can get home safely” . Because yes,cause of death , according to Public Health France.
