Drinking guidelines for men and women

For men:

• a maximum of six standard drinks in any one drinking session
• no more than 21 standard drinks in any one week
• a minimum of two alcohol-free days in any one week

For women:

• a maximum of four standard drinks a day
• no more than 14 standard drinks in any one week
• a minimum of two alcohol-free days in any one week

You cannot save up these daily drinks for one occasion. Even if you've had nothing to drink all week, it is a good idea to stay within the daily upper guidelines when you drink.

Even if you drink less than these levels, your drinking will not be safe in all situations. There are some people who should either not consume alcohol or limit their use to less than these amounts:

• During pregnancy (see below)
• People below average body weight (60kg for men, 50kg for women)
• Young people
• Older people (because their bodies are less able to handle the effects of alcohol)
• People with a strong family history of alcoholism
• People who are or have been dependent on other drugs
• People who have a poor diet, or are under-nourished

These guidelines may be too high when you're

• Driving
• Operating machinery
• Boating, scuba diving, etc
• Taking medication, aspirin or any other drugs that irritate the stomach
• Taking sleeping pills or tranquillisers, anti-depressants or narcotics
• Suffering an acute or chronic physical disease or acute infection
• Recovering from an accident, injury or operation

Why are the guidelines for women lower than for men?

There are proven medical reasons why the guidelines are different for men and women.

• Women tend to be smaller than men so alcohol is distributed over a smaller amount of body tissue. This means that it takes fewer drinks to increase blood alcohol levels.
• Women have on average 10% more fat than men (hence the feminine curves). This means there's less body fluid to dilute alcohol, so it travels around women's bodies in more concentrated form and causes more harm.
• Women's livers produce less of the substance the body uses to break down alcohol (an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase). This means women not only get drunk quicker, but the effects last longer.