Low risk drinking

It is all too easy to think that only those who drink regularly and heavily, or are dependent on alcohol, are at risk of experiencing alcohol related harm. This is not true. Some problems can come from simply being drunk every now and again, especially in circumstances where risky activities are occurring along with, or immediately after, drinking. And the risk of physical damage in the long-term rises sharply beyond daily consumption of 2 standard drinks.

Due to individual differences, there is no amount of alcohol that can be said to be safe for everyone. People's perception of how much alcohol they can 'handle' can lead them to believe that they are able to drink without any risk of harm. There is always some risk to the drinker's health and social well-being, although there are ways to minimise the risks.

The Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol has recommended limits based on reducing your chances of death from alcohol-related causes to less than 1 in 100 deaths.

Guideline 1*

Reducing the risk of alcohol-related harm over a lifetime

The lifetime risk of harm from drinking alcohol increases with the amount consumed. For healthy men and women, drinking no more than two standard drinks on any day reduces the lifetime risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury.

The first guideline can be interpreted as a guide to maximum average consumption over the long-term. Note that this is a reduction from a maximum daily average of 4 to 2 drinks for males over the previous guidelines.

Guideline 2*

Reducing the risk of injury on a single occasion of drinking

On a single occasion of drinking, the risk of alcohol-related injury increases with the amount consumed. For healthy men and women, drinking no more than four standard drinks on a single occasion reduces the risk of alcohol-related injury arising from that occasion.

It is also recommended in the alcohol guidelines that not drinking is the safest option to avoid the risk of endangering the lives of the drinker and/or others in situations where drinking increases the immediate risk of harm.

This includes:

when taking part in recreational or occupational activities that require a high level of attention, psychomotor skills and concentration (e.g. driving, water activities, snow sports, flying an aircraft or operating heavy machinery)
when supervising others who are taking part in such activities
when supervising children.

Even just a drink or two, especially when consumed quickly, could slow reactions when operating machinery or a vehicle, impair survival responses when swimming, affect balance when on a ladder etc, lead to an overdose when taken with prescribed medications and impair judgement when in conflict with others. The list could be a lot longer (more detail on a variety of risks and harm can be found in the various Fact Sheets that you will find links to throughout this website).

In the short-term, drinking above the low-risk level is known to be associated with many harmful outcomes (e.g. deaths on the roads, violence, sexual assault and unprotected sex, even death by alcohol poisoning). As consumption increases above 4 standard drinks on a drinking occasion, the risks increase sharply.

In the long term, the list of physical diseases from drinking above the low-risk levels is very long and sobering, including cancer, diabetes and brain damage. Social and occupational functioning can also deteriorate, leaving heavy drinkers isolated and alone. Depression and anxiety are very commonly a consequence of regular heavy drinking.

If you value your close relationships then drinking above the low-risk guidelines is to be avoided. Both in the short-term and long-term, relationships are often one of the first causalities of too much alcohol.

What is a 'standard drink' of alcohol?

One drink isn't always one drink - different types of alcoholic drinks contain different amounts of alcohol and are sold or served in different sized glasses or containers. It is important that you know what a standard drink is when you are cutting down or trying to stick to a limit. All standard drinks have approximately 10 grams of pure alcohol - regardless of their volume. All alcoholic beverages, by law, state on the label the number of standard drinks in the container.

Use the standard drinks guide to see typical examples of standard drinks served in different glasses, bottles and containers.

How much am I drinking?

You may be surprised at how much your weekly consumption adds up to in standard drinks.

Use the alcohol consumption calculator which will convert the types of drinks you have consumed into standard drinks.

Risk factors

The effect of alcohol depends on your age, whether you are a man or a woman, your body size, medications you are on, the state of your liver and any physical complaints, and how recently you've eaten.

View risk factors that might elevate your risk of harm from drinking.

* The guidelines for low-risk drinking are the same for men and women. Whilst females are at greater risk of physical harm from alcohol at equivalent doses of alcohol to males, males are at greater risk of injury and death from drinking on one occasion due to greater risk-taking than females. Females planning to get pregnant, or who are pregnant or breastfeeding, are advised that the safest option is not to drink alcohol. Young people under the age of 15 should not consume alcohol, and 15-17 year olds should preferably delay the onset of drinking, but if drinking should do so under parental guidance and in a safe environment (i.e. not combine their drinking with high-risk activities). Young people who drink have, proportionally, a very high rate of injury and death related to alcohol.