Key Facts and Issues

Evidence for drinking recommendations is derived primarily from biomedical research.

Official recommendations about levels and patterns of drinking are based on available biomedical information about their relationship with outcomes for health.  Health outcomes of drinking (both positive and negative) fall into two categories:

•          Chronic outcomes are the result of (usually steady) drinking patterns over extended periods of time.

Harmful outcomes – e.g., liver cirrhosis as a result of some heavy extended drinking patterns.

Beneficial outcomes – e.g., cardioprotective effects from some moderate drinking patterns.

•          Acute outcomes can be the result of as little as a single drinking episode.

Harmful outcomes – e.g., injury or drunk-driving accidents.

Beneficial outcomes – e.g., stress reduction.

Information on health outcomes is derived from studies on mortality and morbidity across populations.  However, outcomes for individuals may vary.

Risks associated with alcohol consumption exist on a continuum.

For most people, drinking below a certain so-called  “safe” or “minimal risk” level is associated with little harm, but outcomes vary.

•          For certain individuals, even low levels of alcohol consumption can be associated with harm (e.g., those with medical conditions, taking medications).
•          For others, moderate alcohol consumption is associated with health benefits. For example, a protective effect of moderate alcohol consumption has been demonstrated for cardiovascular disease in middle-aged men and for osteoporosis in elderly women.

Special recommendations are provided to individuals and populations with different sensitivities or those considered at particular risk.

Men and women have different sensitivities to the same levels of alcohol consumption, due to differences in physiology.  Recommended “safe” or “minimal risk” drinking levels for women are generally lower than for men.

Guidelines may include recommendations for “special populations” for whom general advice is not appropriate. “Special populations” include pregnant women, young people, the elderly, those who are alcohol dependent or particularly susceptible.

Specific recommendations may be given for special situations, such as when drinking and driving, in the workplace, or while engaging in sports.

There is inconsistency regarding the official threshold between safe and harmful consumption.

Drinking guidelines exist within broader nutritional or dietary guidelines, as part of a drug strategy, or as stand-alone recommendations about drinking.

Official government guidelines differ with regard to the “safe” or “minimal risk” threshold for alcohol consumption.  Recommendations may be presented as daily or weekly limits. For example:

(For a more complete list click here.)