Alcohol use is quantified in standard drink measures. A standard drink in Australia contains 10 g of alcohol, the amount in:
- 285 mL of full-strength beer (4.9% alcohol)
- 100 mL of wine (13% alcohol)
- 60 mL of fortified wine (20% alcohol)
- 30 mL of spirits (40% alcohol).
For a visual representation of standard drinks in Australia, see the National Health and Medical Research Council Standard drinks guide.
The Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol advise that adults should drink no more than 10 standard drinks per week and no more than 4 drinks on any given day, regardless of gender. This limits the lifetime risk of alcohol-related death from disease or injury to less than 1%; drinking below this level is still associated with an increase in the risk of certain cancers1 and poorer brain healthTopiwala, 2021. Any intake during pregnancy risks fetal injuryGosdin, 2022. Abstinence is recommended for adolescents and anyone planning to become pregnant.
Note: No level of alcohol intake is safe. Australian guidelines advise that intake should not exceed 10 standard drinks per week or 4 drinks on any given day for adults.
The spectrum of substance use is described in these guidelines by the terms ‘hazardous use’, ‘harmful use’ or ‘substance dependence’, outlined in
Terminology describing the spectrum of substance use. Almost 80% of Australians drink some alcohol, of whom around a quarter develop a disorder of alcohol use; 4 to 5% of Australians develop alcohol dependence.
An example of
hazardous alcohol use is episodic heavy (binge) drinking, particularly if it is frequent. For most people, 8 or more drinks on one occasion are likely to be associated with harm, while smaller amounts (eg more than 4 drinks on one occasion) can be harmful for older people and those with comorbidities such as liver disease.
Harmful drinking is heavy drinking that results in injury, accidents, drink-driving convictions or illness. This pattern of use accounts for the largest category of alcohol-related harms; it is a significant contributor to injury and deaths from drowning or driving.
Alcohol dependence is responsible for one-third of alcohol-related disease burden in Australia; it causes more chronic tissue injury, and physical and mental disease than hazardous or harmful use, but fewer deaths because it is less prevalent
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), 2018. Drugs for the management of disorders of alcohol use (eg
naltrexone,
acamprosate) require a diagnosis of alcohol dependence to be subsidised on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
