New Aussie alcohol guidelines

The guidelines were developed by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), our leading expert body in health and medical research.

Share this useful info with members and families at your club.

The new guidelines

While there’s no safe level of drinking, following the guidelines can help you to stay healthy and protect yourself and your family from alcohol harm.

The guidelines recommend that:

• to reduce the risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury for healthy men and women, drink no more than 10 standard drinks per week and no more than 4 standard drinks on any one day
• anyone under 18 should not drink alcohol to reduce the risk of injury and harm to the developing brain
• women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not drink alcohol to prevent harm to their baby.

Standard drinks

Whether you’re having a drink with friends after a game or pouring a glass of wine at home, it can be difficult to keep track of how much alcohol you’re consuming. This is because different types of drinks contain different amounts of alcohol and come in different sizes.

A standard drink might be less than you think.

For example, a bottle of beer or a glass of wine is often more than a 'standard drink'. An Australian standard drink contains 10g of alcohol (12.5ml of pure alcohol). One standard drink is 285ml of full-strength beer, a 100ml glass of wine, or 30ml of spirits.

Tracking how many standard drinks you’re consuming can help you follow the guidelines so you can stay as healthy as possible.

• Spirits 40% alcohol, 30ml nip
• Wine 13% alcohol, 100ml average serving
• Sparkling wine 13% alcohol, 100ml
• Full strength beer 4.9% alcohol, 285ml glass
• Light beer 2.7% alcohol, 425ml glass
• Cider 4.9% alcohol, 285ml glass

Check out the Drinking Calculator to find out how your drinking measures up.

To read more information for parents, and to find out how alcohol affects the over 50 age group, check out the Alcohol and Drug Foundation website.