Australian guidelines to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol (2009)

Description

In 2009, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) introduced revised guidelines that depart from specifying 'risky' and 'high risk' levels of drinking. The guidelines seek to estimate the overall risk of alcohol-related harm over a lifetime and to reduce the level of risk to one death for every 100 people.

There is no longer any difference in the guidelines based on gender; the guidelines are universal for adults over 18 years (Guidelines 1 and 2). Specific guidance is also provided for children and young people (Guideline 3), and pregnant and breastfeeding women (Guideline 4).

• Guideline one: to reduce the lifetime risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury, no more than two standard drinks should be consumed on any day
• Guideline two: to reduce the risk of injury on a single occasion of drinking, no more than four standard drinks should be consumed
• Guideline three: recommends avoiding alcohol for those under 15 years, and delaying the initiation of drinking for those aged 15 to 17 years for as long as possible
  
• Guideline four: recommends pregnant and breast feeding women avoid drinking alcohol.

Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract

Contact details

Level 1, 16 Marcus Clarke Street
Canberra ACT 2601
GPO Box 1421
Canberra ACT 2601
Ph: 13 000 NHMRC (13 000 64672)
Ph: (02) 6217 9000
Fax: (02) 6217 9100
Email: nhmrc@nhmrc.gov.au

Links

• View resource: Australian guidelines to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol (PDF - 2.3 MB)
• View resource: Frequently Asked Questions (PDF - 492.0 KB)
• View information: Australian guidelines to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol
• View website: National Health and Medical Research Council

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