Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol (2020)

The Australian Alcohol Guidelines (2020) Recommend:

  • if you drink regularly, drink no more than two standard drinks each day
  • on a single occasion, drink no more than four standard drinks
  • young people under 18 years of age should not drink alcohol
  • the safest option for a pregnant or breastfeeding mother is not to drink alcohol.

Australian Standard Drinks

A standard drink is 10 grams of pure alcohol. The type of alcohol makes no difference, 10 grams of alcohol is 10 grams of alcohol, whether it is in beer, wine or spirits. It does not matter whether it is mixed with soft drink, fruit juice, water or ice.

It is import ant to remember that alcohol is not always served as a standard drink. Pre-mixed spirits and free poured drinks often contain more than one standard drink.

  • To reduce the risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury, healthy men and women should drink no more than 10 standard drinks a week and no more than 4 standard drinks on any one day. The less you drink, the lower your risk of harm from alcohol.
  • To reduce the risk of injury and other harms to health, children and people under 18 years of age should not drink alcohol.
  • To prevent harm from alcohol to their unborn child, women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy should not drink alcohol.

For further information in relation to alcohol guidelines and the Australian standard drink, please visit the Australian Government National Health and Medical Research Council.
https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/health-advice/alcohol