Alcohol Guidelines
Find out the latest advice from health experts on how you can reduce health risks from drinking alcohol.
The less you drink, the lower the risk.
If you drink, have no more than 10 standard drinks in a week and no more than 4 on any day.
Campaign Background
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)'s Australian Alcohol Guidelines provide advice on how adults can reduce health risks from drinking alcohol, based on the current scientific evidence. While there is no safe level of alcohol use, these Guidelines can help Australians to make informed decisions about how much alcohol they drink, if any.
The ‘Australian Alcohol Guidelines’ campaign targets Western Australian adults to increase awareness of the first guideline1 and what constitutes a standard drink.
The campaign is running exclusively on digital media. It is part of the Alcohol. Think Again ‘Alcohol and Health’ stream and accompanies mass media campaigns that aim to raise awareness about how alcohol causes harm to health.
The 'Australian Alcohol Guidelines' campaign is a joint initiative by the Mental Health Commission and Cancer Council WA, and part of the WA Government’s state-wide strategy to prevent and reduce harm caused by alcohol.
Evidence to support the campaign
- The NHMRC Australian Alcohol Guidelines were revised in 2020 and awareness of the updated guidelines remains low among the WA community.
- In 2022, only 42% of WA adults had seen or heard of the health statement that underpins the Australian Alcohol Guidelines.
- Almost 4 in 10 (38%) of WA adults are not aware of the existence of the Australian Alcohol Guidelines.
- Around one three adults (33%) who drink alcohol exceed the NHMRC's Australian Alcohol Guidelines.2
Key messages
- If you drink, have no more than 10 standard drinks in a week and no more than 4 standard drinks on any day.
- Know what a standard drink looks like? It might surprise you.
Target audience
Primary
- All adults in Western Australia who drink alcohol.
Secondary
- General Western Australian adult population, including those who don't drink alcohol.
Campaign Objectives
- Increase knowledge and awareness of the NHMRC Australian Alcohol Guideline 1 for adults. 1
- Increase knowledge and awareness of what is a standard drink.
Media strategy
The 'Australian Alcohol Guidelines' campaign will run on digital media with an 'always-on' approach from mid-June 2023 for an initial period of 12 months.
Download the Australian Alcohol Guidelines community toolkit.
- Guideline 1 for adults: “To reduce the risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury, healthy men and women should drink no more than 10 standard drinks a week and no more than 4 standard drinks on any one day”
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Measuring risky drinking according to the Australian alcohol guidelines. 2021. Available from: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/alcohol/measuring-risky-drinking-aus alcoholguidelines/contents/measuring-risky-drinking
Page last updated22 December 2023