Alcohol – safe guidelines and alternatives

Key messages

• Drinking any alcohol makes your liver work harder
• Drinking heavily can cause liver damage
• Liver damage from alcohol can happen very suddenly after a binge, or over many years
• Heavy drinking can lead to very serious liver problems
• If you’ve been drinking heavily, it’s a good idea to get your liver checked out
• If you have any sort of liver disease, it’s best not to drink any alcohol

How much alcohol is safe to drink?

To reduce the risk of harm from alcohol, the Australian Government recommends that 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.

Children under 18 and women who are pregnant, planning a pregnancy or breastfeeding should not drink any alcohol at all.

A standard drink contains 10 grams of pure alcohol. It could be:

• Light beer 425 mL
• Full strength beer 285 mL
• Sparkling wine 100 mL
• Wine 100 mL
• Spirits e.g. vodka, gin, rum, whiskey 30 mL

Check your drinking – a quick self-test on alcohol consumption 

Check your drinking – translations in 40 languages are available here

Read more about Australia’s alcohol guidelines

Read some tips for cutting down

Can I drink alcohol if I have liver disease?

Anyone with alcohol-related liver disease will have better health and a better future if they stop drinking.

Stopping drinking can often reverse the liver damage. If the damage is severe, stopping drinking will prevent it from getting even worse.

If you have fatty liver disease, you may be able to drink a little alcohol once your liver recovers. But you will need to stop drinking for several months while your liver repairs itself and you should always discuss this with your doctor.

People with alcoholic hepatitis or alcoholic cirrhosis should stop drinking completely. If they don’t, they are likely to develop life-threatening health problems.

How can I reduce the impact of alcohol on my liver?

If you want to decrease the amount you are drinking, or even stop alcohol altogether, there are lots of things you can do.  

• Start with having alcohol free days – days where you drink no alcohol at all. Guidelines recommend at least 2 to 3 alcohol free days each week, preferably in a row rather than in between days of drinking.

• Measure your drinks or get to know what makes a standard drink – most restaurant and pub pours are over a standard drink. If you measure your drinks you will be able to control the amount you are having at any time. 

• Switch to low alcohol alternatives, or even no alcohol alternatives – there is a wide range of products to choose from in Australia. 

• Have food and water with an alcoholic drink – have a snack or meal when you are having an alcoholic drink, and have water in between each drink. 

• Make a new routine – if you commonly drink straight after work each day, switch it up by going for a walk, or a hobby that will change your habit to something more healthy. 

Information and support

Alcohol and Drug Foundation 1300 85 85 84

Alcohol and Drug Information Service (ADIS)

Alcoholics Anonymous 1300 222 222

Counselling Online

Foundation for Alcohol Research & Education

Hello Sunday Morning

Lifeline

National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline 1800 250 015

SMART Recovery

Turning Point 1800 888 236 (Victoria)

Reviewed June 2025