Alcohol and you

There is no safe level of alcohol use. Alcohol can increase the risk of damage to your body over the short and long term. The National Health and Medical Research Council Australian Alcohol Guidelines can help you make informed decisions about how much alcohol you drink.

Guideline 1 – 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.

Guideline 2 – to reduce the risk of injury and other harms to health, children and people under 18 years of age should not drink alcohol. 

Guideline 3 – To prevent harm from alcohol to their unborn child, women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy should not drink alcohol. For women who are breastfeeding, not drinking alcohol is safest for their baby.

To learn more about alcohol, the effects of alcohol and the harms associated with alcohol use, visit the Alcohol.Think Again website. It provides a range of information about alcohol, including:

• Alcohol and your health – short and long term health effects, alcohol and mental health, alcohol and pregnancy and tips for reducing your drinking.
• Parents and young people – information for parents, leavers and the impact of alcohol on young people.
• Alcohol and your community – use and harm statistics, alcohol and the law, drinking and driving, responsible service of alcohol and information for health professionals.
• Standard drink tool – find out what a standard drink looks like.
• Interactive body tool - find out how alcohol affects your body.
• Drinking audit - assess your current level of drinking.
• Resources - fact sheets, brochures, posters and other resources which can be downloaded or ordered. Resources are available in languages other than English. 

If you are worried about your alcohol use, visit the Getting help page or call the 24/7 Alcohol and Drug Support Line and they can help you find the service that is best for you.