The Australian Guidelines for Drinking Alcohol

In 2009, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) published the Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol.

These alcohol guidelines are based on the evidence concerning the health risks of alcohol. The aim of the NHMRC is to enable consumers to make informed choices when it comes to alochol consumption.

Alcohol affects individuals differently and many factors are involved when it comes to how drinking may affect a person. Therefore the Guidelines are general and may need to be interpreted differently for certain individuals.

Knowing the guidelines for drinking alcohol can reduce the associated risks, including short-term side effects of drinking and long-term consequences of alcohol.

Guideline 1

For healthy men and women, drinking no more than two (2) standard alcoholic drinks on any given day reduces the lifetime risk of disease or injury, i.e. the long-term consequences of alcohol.

Guideline 2

For healthy men and women, drinking no more than four (4) standard alcoholic drinks on a single occasion reduces the risk of alcohol-related injury arising from that occasion, i.e. short-term effects of drinking.

Guideline 3

For children and young people 18 years of age or under, i.e. underage drinking, drinking alcohol is not recommended. Parents and carers should be advised that children under 15 years of age are at the greatest risk of harm from drinking and that for this age group, not drinking alcohol is especially important.

Guideline 4

For women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, the safest option is not to mix alcohol and pregnancy. The same applies for women who are breastfeeding, where drinking alcohol and breastfeeding is not recommended and not drinking is the safest option.

These Guidelines do not apply to people who have a serious drinking problem in the present or past and have made the decision to abstain from alcohol. As the guidelines are general, people with a drinking problem or with a family history should consider the guidelines conservatively and seek professional advice.

These Guidelines do not apply to people who have had serious problems with their physical or mental health, or use medications that interact with alcohol, or have Hepatitis C. Please consult your doctor or health provider.