Alcohol Content by Beverage Type and Health Risks

Given beer, wine and spirits have different ethanol content, sales volume and drinker type preferences (e.g., heavy, moderate, underage), and thereby have differential health effects, governments often apply distinct regulations to each beverage type to help control their use. Such control measures include differences in where and when beverage types can be sold, advertising restrictions, tax rates and labeling requirements. While historically the U.S. has adopted more stringent regulations for spirits, and research supports the more stringent treatment of spirits, harms related to beverage type, particularly those higher alcohol content products, such as spirits, remains an understudied area.