[bunderbunder]

That's what a lot of sources in the US say, but, when they say, "drink", they mean "standard drink", which is this quasi-mythological beverage that one never encounters in real life.

I honestly think that it's negligent on the part of public health folks to continue the practice. Saying "Drinking more than 2 drinks in X time will cause you to be legally impaired" is actively encouraging people to unwittingly drive drunk in a culture when a typical ABV for beer is about twice what it was when those standard were originally calculated, and non-highball cocktails typically contain at least two shots of liquor.

"Unit" is so much better a term.

[cnasc]

> when they say, "drink", they mean "standard drink", which is this quasi-mythological beverage that one never encounters in real life.

I encounter 12oz bottles and cans of 5% abv beer literally every day

[eadmund]

A 12 oz is .34 L, which at 5% would be 1.7 units of alcohol — rather different than a single unit.

[volkl48]

In the US, "units of alcohol" are not a thing or part of the government recommendations.

One standard drink in the US is tied to 12oz of 5% beer (or it's equivalents in wine/spirits), not the UK definition of a "unit" of alcohol.

When there are US health recommendations made, they are referring to standard drinks.