New alcohol guidelines propose what is safe for Australian men and women to drink

New alcohol guidelines from the nation’s peak medical body are calling for Australians to cut the amount they drink each week in the lead up to Christmas.

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Australians will have to slash their alcohol consumption by four drinks per week to fit within stringent new guidelines issued by the nation’s peak medical body today.

Previously the safe drinking guidelines allowed up to 14 drinks per week that will be lowered to just 10 drinks under the proposed new guidelines.

And drinkers must consume less than four glasses on any one day if they want to stay healthy under the rules issued by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

The tough new guidelines also recommend that pregnant women, breast feeding mothers and those under the age of 18 do not drink at all.

In the ten years since the guidelines were last updated new evidence has come to light that drinking alcohol can cause cancer and that it can harm the way the body and brain develop in young people.

“If you are a daily drinker every extra drink per day increases your risk of breast cancer by eight per cent,” said Professor Kate Conigrave the chair of the NHMRC committee which drew up the guidelines.

Alcohol has also been linked to head and neck cancer, esophageal, liver and bowel cancer, she said.

Fewer than two drinks per day allowed under the new guidelines. Picture istock.

The new guidelines mean Australians will be allowed less than two alcoholic drinks per day.

If they want to consume up to four drinks in any one sitting they will not be able to drink at all on two or three other days of the week, Professor Conigrave said.

Most Australians are unaware that the generous glass of wine they pour at home can be equivalent to 2 standard drinks and a can of beer is equal to one and a half standard drinks, she said.

Anyone who shared a full bottle of wine with their partner would be pushing the boundaries of consuming four drinks in a single sitting.

A standard drink of wine is just 100ml, a standard drink of beer is 285 ml and a standard drink of spirits 30ml.

The old guidelines said “not drinking alcohol is the safest option” for those aged under 18 but the new rules state “young people under 18 years of age should not drink alcohol”.

The new more rigid rules come after new research found alcohol consumption changes the brains of teenagers so they develop a greater tolerance for alcohol and are more likely to become dependent on it.

There is also a greater likelihood of risk-taking behaviour in young people who drink alcohol and they are at greater risk of physical injury, including through alcohol poisoning, self-harm and unsafe sexual behaviour, the NHMRC said.

Women who drink while pregnant place their baby at risk of foetal alcohol syndrome which can leave their baby with learning difficulties and problems with vision, hearing, memory, attention span, and ability to communicate.

This is why the NHMRC recommend pregnant women do not drink at all.

“When a breastfeeding woman drinks alcohol, the alcohol passes into the breastmilk and may affect the baby’s sleep and ability to feed,” the guidelines said.

“We’re not telling Australians how much to drink. We’re providing advice about the health risks from drinking alcohol so that we can all make informed decisions in our daily lives.” said Professor Anne Kelso, CEO of the National Health and Medical Research Council.

A standard glass of wine is just 100 ml. Picture iStock

In 2017 there were more than 4,000 alcohol related deaths in Australia, and in 2016/17 more than 70,000 hospital admissions

The guidelines were developed over three years after experts reviewed thousands of scientific papers studying millions of people over many decades, a public call for evidence on the benefits as well as the harms of alcohol and mathematical modelling of the health effects of alcohol consumption.

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The government’s household drug and alcohol survey shows more than eight in ten Australians already drink fewer than 14 alcoholic drinks a week.

However, one in four Australians currently drink more than four drinks on any one occasion.

The Australian rules are identical to alcohol guidelines in France but are more restrictive than British rules which allow 14 alcoholic drinks per week.

The guidelines are now open for public consultation before they are formally adopted.

Originally published as New alcohol guidelines propose what is safe for Australian men and women to drink