Alcohol and Your Health

What alcohol does to your body, how much is lower risk and practical ways to cut back

Alcohol is part of many social occasions in Australia.

For some people, drinking is occasional and causes few obvious problems. For others, it gradually becomes more frequent, affects sleep or mood, contributes to weight gain, or starts creating problems at home, at work or with health.

Alcohol is not simply a drink. It is a drug that affects the brain, liver, heart, judgement, coordination and behaviour. The amount you drink matters, but so do the pattern, the circumstances and your individual health.

The aim is not to shame people who drink. It is to help you understand the risk and make informed choices.

What do the Australian guidelines recommend?

The current Australian guidelines advise healthy adults to drink:

• No more than 10 standard drinks per week
• No more than 4 standard drinks on any one day

The less you drink, the lower your risk of alcohol-related disease and injury. These limits reduce risk; they do not make drinking completely risk-free.

The guidelines also advise:

• People under 18 should not drink alcohol.
• People who are pregnant or planning pregnancy should not drink alcohol.
• Not drinking is safest while breastfeeding.

Some adults should avoid alcohol entirely because of health conditions, medicines, previous alcohol dependence, driving, hazardous work or other individual circumstances.

What is a standard drink?

In Australia, one standard drink contains 10 grams of pure alcohol.

That is approximately:

• 100 mL of wine
• 285 mL of full-strength beer
• 375 mL of mid-strength beer
• 425 mL of light beer
• 30 mL of spirits

Many common serves contain more than one standard drink. An average restaurant glass of wine may contain around 1.4–1.6 standard drinks, while a schooner of full-strength beer is also commonly more than one. Check the label on bottles and cans rather than counting glasses alone.

Home-poured wine is particularly easy to underestimate.

How alcohol affects the body

Alcohol is absorbed through the stomach and small intestine before travelling through the bloodstream to the brain and other organs.

It acts as a depressant, slowing communication between the brain and body. As the amount in the bloodstream rises, it can impair:

• Judgement
• Reaction time
• Coordination
• Balance
• Speech
• Memory
• Impulse control

The liver removes most alcohol from the bloodstream, but this takes time. Coffee, cold showers, exercise and vomiting do not rapidly reduce blood alcohol concentration.

Short-term harms

Drinking too much on one occasion can cause:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Falls and injuries
• Poor decisions
• Aggression or conflict
• Unprotected sex
• Drowning
• Road crashes
• Memory loss
• Loss of consciousness
• Alcohol poisoning

Risk rises when alcohol is combined with sedating medicines, opioids, cannabis or other drugs.

A person who is difficult to wake, breathing abnormally, repeatedly vomiting, having a seizure or becoming blue or pale may have alcohol poisoning. Call 000 and do not leave them alone.

Long-term health effects

Regular alcohol use can contribute to:

• High blood pressure
• Abnormal heart rhythms
• Stroke
• Liver disease
• Pancreatitis
• Poor sleep
• Anxiety and depression
• Memory and cognitive problems
• Sexual difficulties
• Weight gain
• Dependence

Alcohol also increases the risk of several cancers. Even relatively small amounts can increase cancer risk, and the risk generally rises as consumption increases.

This includes cancers of the mouth, throat, oesophagus, bowel, liver and breast.

Alcohol and sleep

Alcohol may help you fall asleep more quickly, but it often worsens sleep quality later in the night.

It can lead to:

• More fragmented sleep
• Earlier waking
• Increased snoring
• Worse obstructive sleep apnoea
• Night sweats
• More frequent urination
• Feeling unrefreshed the next day

Using alcohol as a sleep aid can become a cycle: sleep worsens, more alcohol is used, and tolerance develops.

Alcohol and mental health

People often drink to relax or temporarily escape stress.

Alcohol may reduce anxiety briefly, but it can worsen mood, irritability, sleep and emotional control as its effects wear off. Heavy or frequent drinking can make depression and anxiety harder to manage.

Alcohol can also reduce inhibition and increase impulsive behaviour. This matters particularly when someone is already distressed or having thoughts of self-harm.

Seek urgent help if alcohol use is occurring alongside suicidal thoughts, severe agitation, confusion or immediate danger.

Medicines and alcohol

Alcohol can interact with many medicines.

It may increase sedation or other adverse effects when combined with:

• Sleeping tablets
• Benzodiazepines
• Opioid pain medicines
• Some antidepressants
• Antipsychotic medicines
• Antihistamines
• Some diabetes medicines
• Some blood-pressure medicines

Alcohol can also worsen liver irritation from certain medicines.

Ask your GP or pharmacist whether alcohol is safe with your treatment. Do not assume that an over-the-counter medicine is risk-free.

Could your drinking be becoming a problem?

Alcohol use deserves attention when you:

• Regularly exceed the Australian guidelines
• Find it difficult to stop after one or two drinks
• Drink more often than you intended
• Use alcohol to sleep or cope
• Experience blackouts
• Miss responsibilities
• Hide or minimise how much you drink
• Develop tremor, sweating, nausea or anxiety when you stop
• Need more alcohol to get the same effect
• Continue despite health, relationship or work problems

Dependence can develop gradually and affects people from every background.

Needing help is not a moral failure.

Practical ways to cut down

Small changes can reduce risk.

You might:

• Count standard drinks
• Decide your limit before you start
• Choose smaller serves
• Use lower-alcohol or alcohol-free alternatives
• Alternate alcohol with water
• Eat before and while drinking
• Avoid rounds
• Keep several alcohol-free days each week
• Avoid keeping large amounts at home
• Tell someone you trust that you are cutting back
• Plan an earlier finish time

Tracking your intake for two weeks can reveal patterns that are easy to miss.

Do not stop suddenly if you may be dependent

Suddenly stopping alcohol can be dangerous for someone who drinks heavily or has developed dependence.

Withdrawal may cause:

• Shaking
• Sweating
• Anxiety
• Nausea
• Insomnia
• Rapid pulse
• Hallucinations
• Seizures
• Severe confusion

If you drink heavily every day, have had withdrawal symptoms before or need alcohol to feel normal, speak with a GP or alcohol service before stopping abruptly.

Medically supervised withdrawal may be safer.

When to seek help

Speak with your GP if:

• You are concerned about how much you drink
• Alcohol is affecting sleep, mood, blood pressure or liver tests
• You repeatedly fail to stay within your intended limits
• Family members are worried
• You use alcohol to manage distress
• You may be dependent
• You are planning pregnancy
• You take medicines that may interact with alcohol

Free and confidential support is available through the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015.

Start with one change

Choose one realistic action:

• Record every drink for one week
• Add two alcohol-free days
• Replace your first drink with an alcohol-free option
• Stop keeping alcohol within easy reach
• Measure wine rather than estimating
• Discuss your intake honestly with your GP

Reducing alcohol does not have to begin with a lifetime commitment. It can begin with one decision today.

The bottom line

Alcohol can affect your health even when drinking is socially accepted and does not feel excessive.

Australian guidance recommends no more than 10 standard drinks per week and no more than four on any one day. The less you drink, the lower your risk.

Count standard drinks carefully, avoid using alcohol for sleep or stress, and seek support when cutting back is difficult.

A healthier relationship with alcohol may mean drinking less, taking a break or not drinking at all.