Do you ever wonder how much alcohol is actually in a drink? A new tool released by the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division can show you. The idea for the website came up because drinks have different size containers and a variety of ingredients that make it hard to determine alcohol content.
"I think potentially it could be a nice easy tool for people to refer back to," says Krystle Krauss
Krauss is a treatment supervisor at the Center for Alcohol and Drug Services or CADS. She thinks the CALcohol website is beneficial.
"I don't think many people have an understanding of how much alcohol they're consuming in an actual drink," adds Krauss, "A serving in a can of beer is different than a glass or equivalent to a small glass of wine, which is equivalent to a shot of liquor."
The idea behind the website is to inform people how much alcohol is in a drink. By typing in alcohol content and container size people will find out how much alcohol they are actually consuming. The goal is encourage people to drink in moderation.
"Part of that is harm reduction and having people making better choices," says Krauss.
One of the worries about the website, is people who use it may already be making smart drinking decisions.
"The problem with it is the person that's going to be responsible and check that sort of thing, that's usually the person we don't have a problem to begin with," says Davenport Police Chief Frank Donchez.
However, police add any tool that can show people how much they are actually consuming will keep every safer.
"It certainly helps us and our goal is public safety," adds Chief Donchez.
Krauss says the CALcohol website can be helpful, especially during the holiday season.
"Hopefully this information can really help people reduce harm to themselves for their physical issues, but also for people in the community that might be effected by drinking and driving," adds Krauss.
If you would like to use the CALcohol click here.
