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As an American who enjoys drinking, I find it shocking, too. Not that people do it, but the extent. I've had few experiences as miserable as being hungover. I'v

As an American who enjoys drinking, I find it shocking, too. Not that people do it, but the extent. I've had few experiences as miserable as being hungover. I've been really hungover twice in my life. After the first time, I said never again. After the second time, I said I really need to come up with a system to avoid this. So I have a simple system I call Proof Points. I think I've shared it here once before. It's like calorie counting, except you track alcoholic intake as alcoholic proof (% content x 2) x oz of alcohol (yes, I'm an American). Do some trial and error and you should be able to find a range where you feel good drinking but don't end up the next morning not knowing where you are or even feeling noticeably lousy. For me, the range is 300 to 400 proof points. Yeah, I can't always know how much alcohol I'm getting in a drink I order. But I'm able to ballpark it. And it's been effective for me. Even times when I drink a little too much, I'm sure it has stopped me from drinking way too much. Take it with caveats up and down. Don't mistake it for BAC. I never drive if I'm drinking because, as I understand, most legal limits are now so low, you'll hit them well before you expect it. I think this actually would help curb the drinking problem among US students and all the attendant ills that go along with it. Perhaps if it was offered as a nicely designed phone app. It could serve as a counter-pressure, more or less effective depending on the circumstances, to the peer pressure that the article identifies as a major driver of excess drinking.

Symbiote 7y ago
> proof points In Britain, the personal health lessons at school included guidance on the alcohol content of various drinks, and this is repeated on many bottles. 1 "unit" of alcohol is 10mL. It's close to the amount in a small beer, single measure (25mL) of spirit or a small glass of wine. There are plenty of apps already.
overcast 7y ago
I've got an easier solution in lieu of doing maths while drinking. When you feel warm and fuzzy, stop. That's typically only a few drinks in, and lasts for a couple hours. No issue with major dehydration.
rohansingh 7y ago
> For me, the range is 300 to 400 proof points. Am I doing the math wrong, or would that be less than two pints of beer at 5% ABV? Or does this not work with beer?
- fjsolwmv 7y ago
  One regular drink is 100 of these proof points. A pint of strong beer is 2 drinks. 2 pints of medium beer is indeed a generally good amount to drink in one meal or before you pause for a while. Obviously how many minutes better drinks is a factor
fjsolwmv 7y ago
"proof points" are usually called "drinks". 1 "drink" is 0.5oz of alcohol (1oz 100proof shot, 12oz can of American swill beer, or a half-pint of real beer, or one glass of wine).
topologistics 7y ago
I propose a measure I'll call Total Proof, T = (% content) x volume in oz Which is related to Proof Points (P) by the following: P = 2T Since T and P are proportional you can use Total Proof in the same way as Proof Points, just skip the multiplication by 2 and divide your target range in half. My favorite 9% IPAs clock in at 288 Proof Points or 144 Total Proof for a pint, which makes sense because I usually follow that with a light lager that gets me to around 200 Total Proof or 400 Proof Points. Dividing the ABV in half would result in a "normalized" scale that could tell you, for example, that you're exactly 72% drunk when you finish a pint of 9% because 9 x 0.5 x 16 is 72.
setr 7y ago
In college, I followed the simpler rule of a two liters of water before sleeping, prepped before going out, and it kept away hangovers pretty consistently; but I also drank with a paranoia of puking, so I never got that drunk
benbristow 7y ago
> After the first time, I said never again. After the second time, I said I really need to come up with a system to avoid this That's not how it works. You're meant to keep saying 'never again' and then go out the next week and repeat. It's the British way.

Symbiote 7y ago

> proof points In Britain, the personal health lessons at school included guidance on the alcohol content of various drinks, and this is repeated on many bottles. 1 "unit" of alcohol is 10mL. It's close to the amount in a small beer, single measure (25mL) of spirit or a small glass of wine. There are plenty of apps already.

overcast 7y ago

I've got an easier solution in lieu of doing maths while drinking. When you feel warm and fuzzy, stop. That's typically only a few drinks in, and lasts for a couple hours. No issue with major dehydration.

rohansingh 7y ago

> For me, the range is 300 to 400 proof points. Am I doing the math wrong, or would that be less than two pints of beer at 5% ABV? Or does this not work with beer?

fjsolwmv 7y ago
One regular drink is 100 of these proof points. A pint of strong beer is 2 drinks. 2 pints of medium beer is indeed a generally good amount to drink in one meal or before you pause for a while. Obviously how many minutes better drinks is a factor

fjsolwmv 7y ago

"proof points" are usually called "drinks". 1 "drink" is 0.5oz of alcohol (1oz 100proof shot, 12oz can of American swill beer, or a half-pint of real beer, or one glass of wine).

topologistics 7y ago

I propose a measure I'll call Total Proof, T = (% content) x volume in oz Which is related to Proof Points (P) by the following: P = 2T Since T and P are proportional you can use Total Proof in the same way as Proof Points, just skip the multiplication by 2 and divide your target range in half. My favorite 9% IPAs clock in at 288 Proof Points or 144 Total Proof for a pint, which makes sense because I usually follow that with a light lager that gets me to around 200 Total Proof or 400 Proof Points. Dividing the ABV in half would result in a "normalized" scale that could tell you, for example, that you're exactly 72% drunk when you finish a pint of 9% because 9 x 0.5 x 16 is 72.

setr 7y ago

In college, I followed the simpler rule of a two liters of water before sleeping, prepped before going out, and it kept away hangovers pretty consistently; but I also drank with a paranoia of puking, so I never got that drunk

benbristow 7y ago

> After the first time, I said never again. After the second time, I said I really need to come up with a system to avoid this That's not how it works. You're meant to keep saying 'never again' and then go out the next week and repeat. It's the British way.