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Drinking healthy in small amounts For more information on alcohol education, visit the Wellness Wednesday booth from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 3 in the Children’s Hospital lobby.  The medical advice about alcohol can be confusing. In the right amounts, alcohol offers adults important health benefits. It reduces risk of heart disease and peripheral vascular disease. It also lowers one’s risk of dying of a heart attack and may lower the risk of ischemic strokes, gallstones, and diabetes. In higher amounts, however, alcohol is toxic. It increases the risk of several types of cancer (pancreas, mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, liver, and breast). It damages heart muscle, and increases one’s risk of stroke. Alcohol dependence (alcoholism) can also occur as a result of brain changes produced by repeated bouts of heavy drinking.   So what’s the right amount? How do you get the benefits of alcohol and avoid the risks? The key is in understanding the standard drink, which is 12 ounces of beer (5 percent alcohol content), 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor. Moderate alcohol use—the type of drinking that affords the health benefits of alcohol—is defined as two standard drinks per day for men age 21 to 65, and one standard drink per day for women and for men age 65 and older.   Unfortunately, many people who drink alcohol miscalculate by pouring a drink that contains more alcohol than a standard drink should. These mistakes mean that two drinks per day may actually be closer to four, and what is perceived as moderate drinking may not be.   Want to learn how to pour a standard drink? Come to the Children’s Hospital Lobby from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct.3 for Wellness Wednesday, sponsored by Health 1st and the Charleston Alcohol Research Center. Play “Wheel of Pour-tune,” a fun and educational activity designed to teach adults how to pour a standard drink. You can also learn how to estimate blood alcohol levels, and receive a personalized assessment to determine whether the general drinking guidelines are right for you. By playing, participants also will be registered to win a $25 Target gift card. Editor's note: The preceding column was brought to you on behalf of Health 1st. Striving to bring various topics and representing numerous employee wellness organizations and committees on campus, this weekly column seeks to provide MUSC, MUHA and UMA employees with current and helpful information concerning all aspects of health.     Friday, Sept. 28, 2007 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.