Sensible Drinking
Worldwide Recommendations on Alcohol Consumption
COUNTRY
AUTHORITY
standard unit
 MEN
WOMEN
advice
max g/day
max g/wk
advice
max g/day
max g/wk
AUSTRALIA National Health and Medical Research Council
10g
 for a healthy man, four standard drinks per day with two alcohol-free days per week is regarded as low risk
40
   for a healthy woman, two standard drinks per day with two alcohol-free days per week is regarded as low risk
20
  
AUSTRIA Bundesministerium für Gesundheit und Konsumentenschutz see right
 
Standard drinks per week
Definition
Men
Women
Low risk
up to 21
up to 14
Moderate risk
21-50
15-35
High risk
over 50
over 35

Trinkeinheiten - standard drinks - are defined as 125ml of wine; 300ml of beer; or 20ml of spirits. This equates to approximately 12g of beer or wine; or 6g of spirits.
CANADA Committee of Health and Welfare
13.5g*
 no more than seven drinks per week  
94.5*
 no more than seven drinks per week  
94.5*
  Addiction Research Foundation (endorsed by Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Canadian Medical Association and others)
13.6g
 
Amount of alcohol per week
Definition
standard drinks per week
as g of pure alcohol
Low risk
1-14
182
Moderate risk
15-34
195-442
High risk
35+
455

"As a general guideline, persons should not drink more than two standard drinks in any day". A standard drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer; 5 ounces of wine; or 1.5 ounces of spirits
CZECH REPUBLIC National Institute of Public Health
none
 0-24g of alcohol per day is "comparatively safe"
24
   0-16g of alcohol per day is "comparatively safe"
16
  
The recommendations are for adults over 18, without any disease which "could deteriorate because of alcohol (e.g. epilepsy)," not engaged in risky behaviours and not taking medicines interacting with alcohol
DENMARK Sundhedsstyrelsen
12g
 no more than 21 drinks per week
252
 no more than 14 drinks per week  
168
Advises: "Skip the drinks on every day/Save them for weekends or special days!"
FINLAND Oy Alko AB
11g
 no more than 15 drinks per week
161
 no more than 10 drinks per week  
110
FRANCE Academy of Medicine
12g
 maximum of 5 drinks per day
60
   maximum of 3 drinks per day
36
  
GERMANY No official guidelines              
HUNGARY   
17g
            
ICELAND  
9.5g
            
IRELAND An Roinn Slainte (Department of Health)
8g
 Three units per day
24
   Two units per day
16
  
Advises: "Less Is Better" (1996)
ISRAEL Ministry of Health
none
"no advice in relation to sensible levels of drinking"
ITALY Ministero della Sanità/Società Italiana di Nutrizione Umana
10g
 40g per day, but 30g for elderly men, which must not exceed 10% of the caloric intake
40
   30g per day, but 25g for elderly women, which must not exceed 10% of the caloric intake
30
  
The Ministero della Sanità publishes guidance tables as part of LARN (National Recommended Energy and Nutrient Intake Levels).
The tables give alcohol consumption limits for a range of body weights in men and women and and for wine at 10%, 11% and 12% abv, and for spirits (superalcoholico) plus 11% abv wine.
JAPAN Ministry of Health and Welfare
19.75g
 two drinks (go's) of sake per day at the most
39.5
        
NETHERLANDS Ministrie van Welzijn, Volksgezondheid en Cultuur
9.9g
The Dutch government adheres to the advice of the World Health Organisation that 'less is better' and suggests ["two or three units a few times a week"]
NEW ZEALAND Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand (ALAC)
10g
 no more than 21 standard drinks per week and no more than six on any one occasion  
210
 no more than 14 standard drinks per week and no more than four on any one occasion  
140
PORTUGAL Conselho Nacional de Alimentacao e Nutricao (CNAN)
14g*
 Wine only. Estimates based on 150ml serving. (source: ARISE)
37.3
261.1
  
18.6
130.6
ROMANIA Health Ministry   up to 32.5g as beer or 20.7g as wine per day
20.7-32.5
   up to 17.3g as beer or 10.8g as wine per day
10.8-17.3
  
SPAIN INESIBA
10g*
 40-44g per day
40-44
   40-44g per day
40-44
  
Ministry of Health & Consumption
10g*
 30g per day
30
   20g per day
20
  
moderate drinking is considered to be 100-420g of alcohol per week
Basque Country Department of Health & Social Security   maximum of 1g per Kg of body weight per day
701
   maximum of 0.5g per Kg of body weight per day
282
  
Catalonia Central Authority
8-10g
advises not exceeding 40-50g per day
SWEDEN Systembolaget

 
Amount of alcohol per week
 
Men
 Women
Definition
as 40% spirits
as ml pure alcohol
as g of pure alcohol
as 40% spirits
as ml pure alcohol
as g of pure alcohol
Not dangerous
up to 15cla
60
47
up to 12clb
48
38
Low risk
up to 40cl
160
126
up to 30cl
120
95
Intermediate risk
up to 75cl
300
237
up to 55cl
220
174
High risk
up to 125cl
500
395
up to 95cl
380
300
Very high risk
over 125cl
over 500
over 395
over 95cl
over 380
over 300

Notes: a - or 5 bottles of beer, or two thirds of a bottle of wine b - or 4 bottles of beer or half a bottle of wine
UNITED KINGDOM Department of Health
8g
 "Maximum health advantage" for men over 40 lies between one and two units a day
8-16g
advice on weekly consumption is avoided
 "Maximum health advantage" for postmenopausal women lies between one and two units a day
8-16g
advice on weekly consumption is avoided
Regular consumption of between three and four units a day for men of all ages "will not accrue significant health risk"
24-32g
 Regular consumption of between two and three units a day by women of all ages "will not accrue any significant health risk"
16-24g
Consistently drinking four or more units a day is "not advised as a sensible drinking level"
32g+
 Consistently drinking three or more units a day is "not advised as a sensible drinking level"
24g+
UNITED STATES Department of Agriculture/ Department of Health and Human Services
14g3
 no more than two drinks per day
28g
   no more than one drink per day
14g
  
A standard drink is defined as 12 ounces of regular beer (one bottle); a 5 ounce glass of wine; or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits
Advises: "If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation, with meals, and when consumption does not put you or others at risk"
Notes: 1 - for a 70Kg man; 2 - for a 56Kg woman; 3 - Wine Institute suggests 12g for wine; *approximate/unofficial figure