Recommended maximum intake of alcoholic beverages


There is no global consensus on recommended maximum intake of the drug alcohol. The guidelines provided by health agencies of governments are varied and are shown below. These recommendations concerning maximum intake are distinct from any legal restrictions that may apply in those countries. The American Heart Association recommends that those who do not already consume alcoholic beverages should not start doing so because of the negative long-term effects of alcohol consumption.

Caveats

The recommended limits for daily or weekly consumption provided in the various countries' guidelines generally apply to the average healthy adult. However, many guidelines also set out numerous conditions under which alcohol intake should be further restricted or eliminated. They may stipulate that, among other things, people with liver, kidney, or other chronic disease, cancer risk factors, smaller body size, young or advanced age, those who have experienced issues with mental health, sleep disturbances, alcohol or drug dependency or who have a close family member who has, or who are taking medication that may interact with alcohol, or suffering or recovering from an illness or accident, are urged to consider, in consultation with their health professionals, a different level of alcohol use, including reduction or abstention. Furthermore, the maximum amounts allowed do not apply to those involved with activities such as operating vehicles or machinery, risky sports or other activities, or those responsible for the safety of others.

Units and standard drinks

Guidelines generally give recommended amounts measured in grams of pure alcohol. Some guidelines also express alcohol intake in or when recommending maximum alcohol intake. The size of a standard drink varies widely, as does the recommended maximum number of drinks per day or week, among the various guidelines. The amounts listed are not meant as recommendations for how much alcohol a drink should contain, but rather to give a common reference that people can use for measuring their intake, though they may or may not correspond to a typical serving size in their country.
In North America, one standard drink corresponds to a typical 12 fl. oz. bottle of 5% Alcohol by Volume beer, 5 fl. oz. of 12% ABV wine, or a 1.5 fl. oz. shot of 40% ABV liquor. Due to the different size of the US and Canadian ounce however, the actual amount of alcohol is slightly different. In Europe the most common standard drink size is 10g of pure alcohol, making a typical 330ml bottle of 4.8% ABV beer correspond to 1.2 drinks or a 500ml bottle 1.9 drinks; 100ml of 11% wine is 0.9 drinks, and a 40ml shot of 33% spirits equal 1.0 drink, while in countries that use 12g, those same servings are 1.0, 1.6, 0.7, and 0.9 drinks respectively. Studies have shown that most people find it difficult to understand and define exactly what a standard drink is, and consistently underestimate how much they drink.
The amount of pure alcohol is stated in the table in both grams and millilitres. The number of standard drinks contained in 500ml of beer of 5% ABV is stated for comparison.
Country/regionMass Volume 500 mL of 5% ABV beer is
Australia1012.72.0 standard drinks
Austria2025.31.0 standard drinks
Canada13.617.21.4 standard drinks
Denmark1215.21.6 standard drinks
Finland1215.21.6 standard drinks
France1012.72.0 standard drinks
Germany1012.72.0 standard drinks
Hong Kong1012.72.0 standard drinks
Hungary1721.51.2 standard drinks
Iceland8102.5 standard drinks
Ireland1012.72.0 standard drinks
Italy1012.72.0 standard drinks
Japan19.75251.0 standard drinks
Netherlands1012.72.0 standard drinks
New Zealand1012.72.0 standard drinks
Poland1012.72.0 standard drinks
Portugal1417.71.4 standard drinks
Spain1012.72.0 standard drinks
Switzerland1215.21.6 standard drinks
United Kingdom8102.5 units of alcohol
United States1417.71.4 standard drinks

The amount of alcohol in any drink is calculated by the formula:
For example, 0.35-litre glass of beer with ABV of 5.5% has 15.2 grams of pure alcohol. Pure alcohol has density of 789.24 g/l.

Men

The standard drink size is given in brackets.

Daily maximum drinks (no weekly limits recommended)

Therefore, these countries recommend limits for men in the range 20–40 g per day.

Daily/weekly maximum drinks

These countries recommend a weekly limit, but intake on a particular day may be higher than one-seventh of the weekly amount.
Therefore, these countries recommend limits for men in the range 27.2–32 g of ethanol per day and 168–210 g of ethanol per week.

Weekly maximum drinks

Women trying to become pregnant should look at the guidelines for pregnant women given in the next section.

Daily maximum drinks (no weekly limits recommended)

Therefore, these countries recommend limits for women in the range 10–30 g per day.

Daily/weekly maximum drinks

These countries recommend a weekly limit, but your intake on a particular day may be higher than one-seventh of the weekly amount.
Therefore, these countries recommend limits for women in the range 14–27.2 g per day and 98–140 g per week.

Weekly maximum drinks

Excessive drinking in pregnancy is the cause of Fetal alcohol syndrome, especially in the first eight to twelve weeks of pregnancy. Therefore, pregnant women receive special advice. It is not known whether there is a safe minimum amount of alcohol consumption, although low levels of drinking are not known to be harmful. As there may be some weeks between conception and confirmation of pregnancy, most countries recommend that women trying to become pregnant should follow the guidelines for pregnant women.
In short, all countries listed above now recommend that women abstain from alcohol consumption if they are pregnant or likely to become pregnant.

Breastfeeding women

"Alcohol passes to the baby in small amounts in breast milk. The milk will smell different to the baby and may affect their feeding, sleeping or digestion. The best advice is to avoid drinking shortly before a baby's feed." "Alcohol inhibits a mother's let-down. Studies have shown that babies take around 20% less milk if there's alcohol present, so they'll need to feed more often – although infants have been known to go on 'nursing strike', probably because of the altered taste of the milk." "There is little research evidence available about the effect that has on the baby, although practitioners report that, even at relatively low levels of drinking, it may reduce the amount of milk available and cause irritability, poor feeding and sleep disturbance in the infant. Given these concerns, a prudent approach is advised."
Countries have different recommendations concerning the administration of alcohol to minors by adults.