Alcohol Calculator

Your weekly total of alcohol units is

Check whether you fall within the National Health and Medical Research Council's Australian Alcohol Guidelines, below. These guidelines are set to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol.

For healthy men

• Drinking no more than 2 standard drinks of alcohol on any day reduces the lifetime risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury.
• Drinking no more than 4 standard drinks on a single occasion reduces the risk of alcohol-related injury arising from that occasion.
• At higher levels of drinking, the lifetime risk of alcohol-related injury increases more quickly for men.

The health risks that accumulate over a lifetime from alcohol increase progressively - this means that the more you drink, the greater the risk.

Drinking alcohol can affect your liver or cause brain damage, heart disease, high blood pressure and increases your risk of many cancers. It may also increase your risk of injury through road trauma, violence, falls and accidental death.

People who should seek advice
If you are on medication, have a physical condition or a condition that is made worse by alcohol (such as hepatitis), or have a family history of alcohol-related problems, then you should seek advice from your doctor as it may not be safe for you to follow these guidelines or to drink at all.

What to do if you are drinking too much?

If you find you are drinking more standard drinks than you should be, read alcohol: how much is too much, to find out about the risks and get started reducing with these tips on how to drink less.

Your weekly total of alcohol units is

Check whether you fall within the National Health and Medical Research Council's Australian Alcohol Guidelines, below. These guidelines are set to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol.

For healthy women

• Drinking no more than 2 standard drinks of alcohol on any day reduces the lifetime risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury.
• Drinking no more than 4 standard drinks on a single occasion reduces the risk of alcohol-related injury arising from that occasion.
• At higher levels of drinking, the lifetime risk of alcohol-related disease increases more quickly for women.

The health risks that accumulate over a lifetime from alcohol increase progressively - this means that the more you drink, the greater the risk.

Drinking alcohol can affect your liver or cause brain damage, heart disease, high blood pressure and increases your risk of many cancers. It may also increase your risk of injury through road trauma, violence, falls and accidental death.

Alcohol and pregnancy
For women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, not drinking is the safest option. The potential harms to the developing fetus are highest when there is high, frequent maternal alcohol intake. If a woman has consumed only small amounts of alcohol (e.g. 1 or 2 drinks per week) before she knew she was pregnant, the level of risk is likely to be low.

Alcohol and breastfeeding
For women who are breastfeeding, not drinking is the safest option.

People who should seek advice
If you are on medication, have a physical condition or a condition that is made worse by alcohol (such as hepatitis), or have a family history of alcohol-related problems, then you should seek advice from your doctor as it may not be safe for you to follow these guidelines or to drink at all.

Young people under 18 and children
Children under 15 are at greatest risk of harm from drinking - so not drinking alcohol is very important. For young people aged 15 to 17 years, the safest option is to delay starting drinking for as long as possible.

What to do if you are drinking too much?
If you find you are drinking more standard drinks than you should be, read alcohol: how much is too much, to find out about the risks and get started reducing with these tips on how to drink less.

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