Risk factors

The biggest risk factor for an individual is the amount of alcohol consumed. There is no getting away from the fact that drinking above the low-risk levels of 2 standard drinks on any day will increase the chance of lifetime harm from alcohol, and above 4 drinks on any one occasion will increase the chance of injury or death. The more often we drink, the greater the chance we will experience injury in the short-term and ill-health or death in the longer-term.

But, there are a number of other risk factors that increase the risk of harm for some individuals over others. Do you:

have a light body build
have a physical condition made worse by alcohol (this is particularly likely if you are elderly)
suffer from depression, anxiety, sleep problems, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, or other psychological difficulties
have a close relative who has, or had, an alcohol problem
live alone and have little or no contact with family supports
drink with friends who regularly drink above low-risk levels and enjoy high-risk activities when intoxicated
regularly drink on an empty stomach
work in an environment where heavy drinking is normal and expected
take medication
engage in activities after consuming alcohol that involve risk or a degree of skill such as
o driving (alcohol is the main cause of death on the roads)
o operating machinery
o working at heights (alcohol is responsible for a third of all deaths from falls)
o flying
o water sports (alcohol is responsible for a third of all drownings in males 15-29 years)?

Then you are at increased risk of experiencing alcohol-related harm and should carefully consider whether the low-risk limits need to be reduced further in your case, or at least on some occasions.

Inexperienced drinkers are also at greater risk due to a lack of tolerance to alcohol. Young people, in particular, are at higher risk in the short-term (that is, from intoxication) because their inexperience with alcohol combines with judgement and decision-making skills that are still developing.

In older people, the risk of a fall is greater, while driving skills may be affected by problems such as visual loss and slowed reaction time. Alcohol can increase the risks in both of these areas.

Find out more about the risk of injury from alcohol (303KB)

Find out more about the risk of harm to your body (307KB)