Aussie Drinking Guidelines

The Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has issued guidelines for reducing Australians' lifetime risk of alcohol-related injury or disease. For both sexes, two standard drinks a day over a lifetime is the limit to keep that risk below a one-in-100 chance of dying as a result of drinking. The guidelines include a new four-drink guideline for drinking on a single occasion, like going to the pub, having a drink with friends or having drinks at home. (A single occasion is defined in the guidelines as a sequence of drinks taken without blood alcohol concentration reaching zero in between).  For healthy men and women, drinking no more than four standard drinks on a single occasion reduces the risk of alcohol related injury arising from that occasion.

Professor Jon Currie, Chair of NHMRC's Expert Working Committee on Alcohol Guidelines said “The guidelines aren’t telling you what you can or can’t do. They aim to help Australians make their own informed choices about alcohol and how much risk they want to take with their health. Two standard drinks a day keeps your risk below 1 chance in 100 of dying as a result of drinking. This is slightly less than your risk of dying in a car accident one day.”

“The new guidelines are based on the risk over a lifetime, and provide advice on lowering your risk from alcohol-related harm, but ultimately it’s your choice.” The Council expressed concerns about youth12-24 years of age. binge drinking, stating there is no safe level of alcohol consumption for people under 18, and warning parents against giving older children small amounts of alcohol.  The earlier draft said 15 to17-year-olds could consume some alcohol under parental supervision. The new guidelines also advise women who are pregnant, planning a pregnancy or breastfeeding not to drink.

One standard drink is the equivalent to one 330ml can of mid-strength (four percent alcohol) beer or 100ml of wine or 30ml of spirits. Under the old 2001 Australian guidelines, men could have up to four drinks a day before being considered to be drinking at a risky level. The guidelines released in early March have been altered since a draft was released in October 2007 draft stating that two drinks a day constituted an immediate health risk with critics saying they were socially unacceptable and alarmist. Prof Currie was reported in the Australian press as saying he expected the new guidelines would set the standard internationally, as they were the first to include information on the lifetime risks associated with alcohol consumption. "We think it will probably really become the standard way guidelines are done in the future for other countries," he said.

Commenting on the Australian guidelines, ALAC Chief Executive Officer Gerard Vaughan said ALAC’s levels for responsible drinking recommend no more than six drinks for men and four for women on a single occasion and over a week no more than 21 for men and 14 for women, plus at least two alcohol-free days a week. “These levels are only general guidelines,” he said. “Some people should not drink at all, for example, those with certain medical conditions, on medication or those with a dependence problem. ALAC advises pregnant women or those attempting to get pregnant to avoid all alcohol.  It is good to see the new Australia guidelines now give the same advice."

“Our advice is focused on limiting binge drinking, that is going out and getting drunk, which is the most hazardous drinking pattern in this country.

This focus differs from the new Australian guidelines which focus on low risk drinking over a life time.” Mr Vaughan said ALAC would look at the Australian evidence and consider whether low risk drinking guidelines over a lifetime should be developed for New Zealand.  Mr Vaughan also said it was timely to consider within its current advice on young peoples’ drinking whether to include an age below which young people should not drink. Mr Vaughan said ALAC’s advice to parents was they should try to delay their children starting to drink alcohol for as long as possible. 

“We now have this Australian research saying teenagers under 18 should not drink,” he said. “This follows the release of a consultation document earlier in the year from the United Kingdom warning that children under 15-years-old should never be given alcohol - even in small amounts. “Locally we have research from the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study at the University of Otago that found young people using alcohol or other drugs before the age of 15 more than doubles the risk of damaging their health into adulthood.” Mr Vaughan said it was timely to ask the question of whether a set age should be part of ALAC’s advice on teenage drinking.

The Australian Guidelines can be found at www.nhmrc.gov.au