By Rachel Clun
A maximum 10 standard drinks a week is recommended for those who want to reduce their risk of alcohol-related harm under new national guidelines adopted by the federal government on Tuesday.
Professor Anne Kelso, the chief executive of the National Health and Medical Research Council, which developed the guidelines, said the coronavirus pandemic had changed drinking habits.
New alcohol guidelines have been adopted by the government.Credit: iStock
"As we emerge from lockdowns and return to a more normal life, I think many of us are thinking about how to improve our health," she said. "Now one of those ways is paying attention to the amount of alcohol we drink."
Acting Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly said the country's current alcohol consumption came at a high cost, with 4000 alcohol-related deaths a year, 70,000 hospital admissions and links to more than 40 medical conditions.
"One in four Australians are drinking alcohol at risky levels. One in two women ... consumed alcohol during their pregnancy, and 10 to 15 per cent of all emergency department presentations are alcohol-related," he said.
"So reducing the risks posed by alcohol demands a complex and multifaceted approach, and the release of these guidelines today from the NHMRC is a very important part of that."
The new guidelines, developed over four years, recommend no more than 10 standard drinks a week and no more than four standard drinks in one day. They replace guidelines released in 2009 that recommended a maximum of 14 drinks a week.
The new guidelines also recommend that women trying to get pregnant and those who are pregnant or breastfeeding steer clear of alcohol for the safety of their babies. Children under the age of 18 should not drink any alcohol, they say.
Professor Kate Conigrave, a clinician and researcher at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and the University of Sydney who chairs the NHMRC alcohol working committee, said since the previous guidelines were created there had been more research showing links between alcohol and the risk of cancer from “fairly low levels” of drinking.
“Even one or two a day, on average, is increasing your risk of breast cancer compared to people who don't drink,” she said.
At the same time, there had been a “weakening of the evidence” of the potential benefits of alcohol, said Professor Emily Banks, an epidemiologist and public health physician at the Australian National University who is deputy chair of the alcohol working committee.
The new guidelines aimed to strike a balance between acknowledging alcohol was a thing people enjoyed and reducing the harm it caused, and were calculated so people following them had less than a 1-in-100 chance of dying from an alcohol-related condition.
“If you want to absolutely minimise your risk of alcohol-related harm, people can choose not to drink at all,” Professor Banks said.
Alcohol Beverages Australia chief executive Andrew Wilsmore said the guidelines were "highly suspect".
"We welcome guidelines but they must be properly informed and transparent. The NHMRC recommendations help determine harmful levels of consumption and are extremely important but they must have credibility within both the health community and the public," he said.
Professor Kelso said the guidelines were advice, not rules.
“We’re not telling Australians how much to drink,” she said.
The guidelines translated to a couple of drinks on some days and a couple of alcohol-free days, Professor Banks said.
“One bottle of wine is about six to eight standard drinks, so you can share a bottle … But don't have more than that on a given day," she said.
Now the guidelines have been adopted by the government, Professor Conigrave said she hoped they would be used by GPs, medical specialists, midwives, dietitians and the fitness industry.
“Most of all, we hope that everyday people use them,” she said.