National Consumers League Blasts Alcohol Myth.

[cowdery]

The press release is dated today. The headline says, "NCL Challenges Myth that Some Alcoholic Beverages Are 'Safer' and 'Less Potent.'"

The subhead is even more provocative: "New Initiative Underscores Need for New Alcohol Label."

You can read the release here. That's the NCL web site, which is good if, like me, you've never heard of the NCL before.

If you drill down, one of their proposals is for every alcohol label to tell how many "standard drinks" the package contains. What's a "standard drink"? Here's what the press release says:

"...the common denominator for a 'standard drink' of beverage alcohol is 0.6 fluid ounces of pure alcohol. Based on this amount of alcohol, a standard drink consists of a 12-ounce bottle or can of regular beer (5% alcohol), a 5-ounce glass of regular (dinner) wine (12% alcohol), and a 1.5 ounce drink of 80 proof (40% alcohol) distilled spirits or liquor (either straight or in a mixed drink)."

I think they meant "or" in that sentence, rather than "and," but you get the point. This drink equivalency thing has been pushed by the Distilled Spirits Council for years.

But this idea of having every label tell how many "standard drinks" the package contains is new. By their calculations, a 12-ounce can or bottle of beer contains one standard drink, a 750 ml bottle of table wine contains 5 standard drinks, and a 750 ml bottle of 80° proof spirits contains 17 standard drinks.

Of course, nothing is standard at my house. Here, we drink Chuck-sized drinks, and don't get anything like 17 per bottle. Eight or nine, maybe.

But what is interesting and important about this is that here is a venerable, 100-year-old consumer advocacy group that is proposing a common sense alcohol policy without the sensationalized accusations you usually see, which is why the only place you'll probably read about it is here.

[plaid_emu]

Well this ought to make Everclear's marketing easy during the coming depression.

"More 'Standard Drinks' per bottle than any other brand!"

[bluesbassdad]

I don't know enough about the problems of over-consumption of alcohol to judge the value of their proposal.

I can envision two frames of reference. One is that of the liquor industry; the other is that of public safety.

The NCL appears to be a broad-spectrum populist/progressive outfit, whose constituency is sometimes the downtrodden and sometimes the general public, as they perceive it. I would be very surprised if they have any concerns of specific benefit to retirees who live off their life savings plus social security.

Yours truly,
Dave Morefield

[callmeox]

Of course, nothing is standard at my house. Here, we drink Chuck-sized drinks, and don't get anything like 17 per bottle. Eight or nine, maybe.

I'm all for Chuck sized drinks. I think that we have come up with a new measurement of liquid volume.

The Cowdery = 1/9 of a 750ml bottle

Usage: Gimme a Cowdery of Templeton Rye on the rocks and make it snappy!

[TNbourbon]

According to Chuck, Stagg equals 15.3 drinks.
According to the bureaucrats, Stagg equals 30.6 drinks.
My heart and tastebuds lie with Chuck, but all my guests are aligned with the bureaucrats ...



(SB.com members excepted...really!)

[Thesh]

According to Chuck, Stagg equals 15.3 drinks.
According to the bureaucrats, Stagg equals 30.6 drinks.
My heart and tastebuds lie with Chuck, but all my guests are aligned with the bureaucrats ...



(SB.com members excepted...really!)

I believe it should go by type.

Distilled spirits:
1 drink = 2 fl oz

Beer:
1 drink = 16 fl oz

[OscarV]

I was always under the impression that the standard drinks goes like this;
12oz beer
8oz wine
1oz spirits

This new list gives me a half ounce more of spirits!!!
See, sometimes good things do happen.

[barturtle]

I'll stick to Imperial Measurements ifyoudontmind

Pints are 20 oz, works well for a beer, and I'll take my spirits by the gill (a quarter of a pint...yup that's a 5oz pour!!!)

[CorvallisCracker]

My favorite dialog from LOTR:

Pippin: What is that?

Merry: It's a pint.

Pippin: It comes in pints? I'm getting one!

[Schpyder]

I was always under the impression that the standard drinks goes like this;
12oz beer
8oz wine
1oz spirits

This new list gives me a half ounce more of spirits!!!
See, sometimes good things do happen.

A half ounce more of 80 proof spirits. Why would you be drinking something so weak?