KTV hostess dies after downing 18 glasses of liquor: 9 times over recommended limit for men

SINGAPORE - A 27-year-old woman died on Wednesday after consuming 18 glasses of hard liquor. This is more than nine times the drinking limit recommended for men by the Health Promotion Board (HPB).

According to evening daily Shin Min, a guest had offered the woman, who worked as a hostess at a KTV lounge near Clarke Quay, $50 for every glass of liquor she downed.

The woman reportedly passed out after drinking 18 glasses and could not be woken up.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force said that she was conveyed unconscious "with no pulse and no breathing" to Singapore General Hospital (SGH) early Tuesday morning.

The Singapore Police Force said that they were informed on Wednesday at 4.53pm that the woman was pronounced dead at SGH. Police investigations are ongoing.

According to the HPB, a standard alcoholic drink contains 10g of alcohol. This can be estimated to be one can (330ml) of regular beer, half a glass (175ml) of wine or 1 nip (35ml) of spirit.

For a female adult, consuming four or more drinks in one drinking session is considered binge drinking, or excessive consumption of alcohol over a short period of time. For a male adult, downing about five or more standard drinks is considered binge drinking.

Women should drink no more than one standard drink a day and men should limit themselves to two standard drinks a day.

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