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In order to establish a clear limit between protective and harmful effects of alcohol consumption, it is necessary to define patterns of consumption. However, there is no universally recognized quantitative classification for patterns of consumption by alcohol doses. This is because the pattern of alcohol consumption does not only describe how much alcohol was consumed, but also takes into account a number of boundary conditions. This review deals with variabilities in the definitions of standard alcohol doses and patterns of alcohol consumption. These terms are being discussed with respect to the benefits and harms associated with alcohol consumption as well as the risks intrinsic to studies of such a complex phenomenon as the effect of alcoholic beverages on human health.