Alcohol - the risks and benefits to your health

Introducing new Alcohol Guidelines

What is a 'Standard Drink'?

How to estimate a 'Standard Drink'

Alcohol - the risks and benefits to your health

The Guidelines for drinkers:
1. To lessen the risks to your health and gain any longer-term
benefits
2. If you undertake activities that involve risk or a degree of skill
3. If you are responsible for private or public drinking settings
The Guidelines for specific groups:
4. If you have a health or social problem related to, or made worse
by, alcohol (including alcohol dependence)
5. If you have a relative who has, or has had, a problem with alcohol
6. If you have a mental health problem (including anxiety or
depression
and/or problems sleeping)
7. If you take medications or other drugs
8. If you are an older person
9. If you are a young adult (aged about 18-25 years)
10. If you are a young person (up to about 18 years)
11. If you are pregnant, or are planning to become pregnant
12. For people who choose not to drink alcohol

Alcohol and your health
Alcohol is widely used and enjoyed by Humans, and can form part of an
enjoyable and healthy lifestyle that includes good diet and exercise.
However, drinking in excess of low-risk levels can have harmful
effects on your health. In the short term, negative effects may
include:
· how you think and behave;
· your stress levels, sleep patterns and sexual function;
· your gut and pancreas; and
· your heart and circulatory system; and may lead to:
· risky behaviour, injury or death.
Long term effects on your health may include:
· cancer;
· cirrhosis of the liver;
· brain damage and memory loss; and
· alcohol dependence.

Why new Guidelines?
Since then there have been many developments in our knowledge.
The current Alcohol Guidelines, which were endorsed by Medical
Research are summarised in this booklet.

They can help you to make informed choices about your drinking and
health.

Alcohol Guidelines
The new Guidelines can help you think about your patterns of drinking
and how much you drink.
'Patterns of drinking' means:
· when and where you drink;
· the number of times you drink heavily;
· the activities associated with your drinking;
· your personal characteristics and those of your drinking companions;
· the types of drinks you consume; and
· the drinking expectations and behaviours that make up
your 'drinking culture'.

The Guidelines also provide information on the beneficial effects of
alcohol, such as the protection alcohol may provide against heart
disease in middle-aged or older people.

The Guidelines use the idea of a 'standard drink'. A standard drink is
any drink that contains 10 grams of alcohol.

It can sometimes be difficult to work out standard drinks because:
· different types of alcoholic drinks contain different proportions of
alcohol per volume; and
· different glass sizes are used in different drinking settings.
It can also be difficult for you to keep track of how much alcohol you
consume in situations where:
· large containers (jugs, casks, flagons) are being shared;
· glasses are being topped up; and
· drinks are mixed with unknown amounts of alcohol, such as cocktails
or alcoholic punch.

It is, however, possible for you to make some estimates:
· the label on any bottle, can or cask states how many
standard drinks are inside the container; and
· you can use a standard drinks conversion guide, such as the one
provided at the back of this booklet.

Levels of risk
The Guidelines describe three levels of risk:
· Low risk - a level of drinking at which you have little risk of harm
and, for older people, the possibility of health benefits
· Risky - levels at which your risk of harm is significantly
increased, beyond any possible benefits
· High risk - levels at which your risk of serious harm is substantial

The question of body size and type:
The Guidelines refer to people of average or above average weight. If
you are below average body size, the levels recommended in these
Guidelines may be too high for you and you should drink less than
recommended.

There are different Guidelines for men and for women.
This is because women are more susceptible to the effects of alcohol
than men.

Looking at the risks to your health:
The Guidelines also explain short and long-term risks to your health
from drinking alcohol at risky or high risk levels. Short-term risk
means the risk of harm that is associated with each separate drinking
occasion. This includes the risk of injury, interpersonal violence and
accidental death, as well as broader health effects such as stress
levels, sleep disorders, reduced circulation and sexual dysfunction.

Long-term health risks mean the likelihood of harm that is associated
with regular daily and weekly patterns of drinking. The main long-term
consequences to your health may be:
· cancer, especially of the mouth, throat and oesophagus;
· cirrhosis of the liver;
· brain damage and memory loss;
· alcohol dependence;
· complex interactions with regard to cardiovascular disease, which
may include some health benefits from low-risk levels of drinking for
heart disease, if you are over 40 years old; and
· possible increased risk of peripheral neuropathy, cardiomyopathy,
and sexual problems (especially male impotency).

Considering the benefits to your health:
The guidelines also point to some benefits of regularly drinking very
small amounts of alcohol for middle-aged and older people. These
benefits include reducing the risk of heart disease, and to a lesser
extent gallstones and diabetes. Similar benefits can also be gained
through a healthy diet for all these disorders, and through regular
exercise, and giving up smoking in the case of heart disease. People
who choose not to drink alcohol should not be urged to drink to gain
any potential health benefit.

Guideline 1
For men:
· No more than 4 standard drinks a day on average. And no more than 6
standard drinks on any one day.* One or two alcohol-free days per
week.

For women:
· No more than 2 standard drinks a day on average. And no more than 4
standard drinks on any one day.* One or two alcohol-free days per
week.
* These drinks should be spread over several hours. For example, men
should have no more than 2 standard drinks in the first hour and 1 per
hour
after that. Women should have no more than 1 standard drink per hour.

NB: Guideline 1assumes that you:
· Are not about to undertake any activity involving risk or a degree
of skill, including driving, flying, water sports, skiing, using
complex or heavy machinery or farm machinery etc;
· Do not have a condition that is made worse by drinking, or a family
history of alcoholrelated problems;
· Are not on medication;
· Are not pregnant; and
· Are 18 years or older.
· If you drink within the average drinking levels in Guideline 1:
- you will minimise the longer term risk of ill health and death
related to alcohol; and
- you will maximise the potential longer term benefits to your health.
· The limits set for drinking on any one occasion are intended to
reduce your short-term risk from intoxication.
· The limits set for drinking on any one occasion also contribute to
reducing your long-term risk of harm.
· If you drink above the daily limits set out in Guideline 1, you will
significantly increase your short-term risk of social and health
problems, including injury or death from accident, assault and self-
harm.
· The safety of drinking depends not only on how much you drink, but
also on:
- the rate at which you drink;
- where you drink; and
- what you are doing during and after drinking (for example eating
while drinking helps to reduce intoxication).
· The risk of injury, violence, depression and suicide attempt are all
influenced by the setting in which you are drinking.
· The same amount of alcohol usually affects women more than men,
because of the way women's bodies process alcohol.

Alcohol-free days: Reducing the risks to your health:
Regular alcohol-free days may help you to remain in control of your
drinking and reduce the likelihood of it becoming a habit. This is
especially important if you drink above the Guideline limits. There is
evidence to show that if you drink (even at low levels) over time you
will acquire some tolerance to alcohol, but this will occur less if
you only drink occasionally.

A mild degree of alcohol dependence is common in population. One early
sign of this may be, for example, that you find it difficult to drink
within the recommended guidelines.

Guideline 2
· to avoid risk of harm to yourself and others, do not drink alcohol
before or during such activities. Even very small amounts of alcohol
can affect your judgement and performance. A very small effect may be
important where a high degree of skill is needed, or if the risk is
already high or the safety of others is involved. Situations where
this Guideline is important include recreational and occupational
activities such as flying, water sports, skiing, using complex or
heavy machinery or farm machinery, and driving.

Blood alcohol levels are set by legislation and/or company policy in
occupational settings such as flying commercial aircraft (eg no
alcohol within 24 hours of flying), driving public or heavy vehicles,
or operating commercial vessels, machinery or mobile plant.

Although State and Territory laws allow you to have a Blood Alcohol
Concentration (BAC) of up to 0.05 when driving (if you hold a full
driving licence), your judgement and performance may be affected at
blood alcohol levels lower than this. Research shows that when your
blood alcohol level is 0.05, your risk of crashing is twice as high as
if you hadn't been drinking at all. In most States learner (L-plate)
and provisional (P-plate) drivers of all ages must have a blood
alcohol level of zero or under 0.02.

If you are a learner driver or hold a provisional licence, you should
allow several hours after drinking before you drive in order to stay
under 0.02 BAC.

The more alcohol you consume, the longer it takes for your BAC to
return to zero. It generally takes about one hour for one standard
drink to pass through your bloodstream, and after a heavy drinking
session, your BAC may still be over 0.05 the next morning.
Furthermore, even after your BAC returns to normal, your judgement and
performance may continue to be impaired from the effects of a
hangover. Your BAC should remain below 0.05 if you:

· drink no more than two standard drinks in the first hour and one per
hour thereafter (for men of average size); or
· drink no more than one standard drink per hour (for women of average
size). However it can vary significantly from person to person.

Guideline 3
· actively promote responsible drinking;
· try to make sure that people being served alcohol do not become
intoxicated;
· suggest alternative drinks to alcohol;
· refuse to serve alcohol to people who are intoxicated;
· closely supervise or monitor young people; and
· look for ways to reduce possible causes of harm in the setting.

There is good evidence that both licensed and private drinking
settings can either increase or decrease the risk of short-term harm
associated with drinking. This Guideline applies to any setting where
alcohol is served, including:
· private homes and parties,workplaces (for social functions); and
· any public setting (hotels and bars, clubs, public events, planes
etc).
Effective ways you can help to reduce health risks include:
· provide non-alcoholic and low alcohol drinks;
· encourage people to alternate alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks;
· make food available;
· provide safe transport; and
· staff training.

Some of these are legal requirements in licensed premises under State
and Territory laws.

Drinking Settings:
Guideline 4
· you should consider not drinking at all;
· you are strongly advised to stop drinking for at least several weeks
or months;
· you might then try drinking at low levels* (substantially below
Guideline 1) under the supervision of your doctor;
· you should not drink at all if you have developed severe alcohol
dependence;
· you should never drink if you have a severe health problem made
worse by alcohol (eg cirrhosis of the liver, pancreatitis); and
· if you have hepatitis C, or another form of chronic viral hepatitis,
you should consider drinking only infrequently and well below the
levels recommended in Guideline 1. A range of health and social
problems may be associated with alcohol misuse. These include domestic
violence, unsafe sex, financial and relationship problems, and
physical conditions such as pancreatitis, high blood pressure and
gastrointestinal problems. These problems may or may not involve
dependence.

People experience the symptoms of alcohol dependence in different
ways. You may have withdrawal symptoms, both physical and
psychological (eg anxiety, tremors) when you stop drinking. You may
have difficulty in limiting drinking on any one occasion. For some
people, especially those with severe dependence, total abstinence will
be the only realistic goal.
For some people with a drinking problem 'controlled drinking' is
feasible, especially if they have social supports and if they tackle
the problem early, before they become too severely dependent.

If you already have significant alcohol dependence or major organ
damage (eg damage to liver or pancreas), you will incur further harm
if you continue to drink.

*The appropriate level will vary from person to person:
There are a number of professional, medical and voluntary agencies
that can help you if you have problems with your drinking. Most States
and Territories have an alcohol and drug telephone helpline, which can
provide information on specialist services available [a list is
provided on page 18].

Families offer a key resource in helping people with drinking
problems, and are often the first to identify such problems. It is
crucial that the impact of such problems on families and partners be
recognised, and their needs supported.

Guideline 5
· you should be careful about how much you drink;
· you should take particular care to have regular alcohol-free days
(one or two days per week); and
· you might consider not drinking at all.
If you have a family history of alcohol-related problems, including
alcohol dependence, you are more at risk than the general population
of being unable to control your level of drinking.

The degree of risk is related to:
· the closeness of the relative who has the alcohol-related problem
(first or second degree relatives); and/or
· the number of relatives involved.

Alcohol-free days are particularly important, because they help you to
avoid
alcohol-related problems by breaking your drinking pattern.

*First-degree relatives (parents, siblings) or second-degree relatives
(grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins).

Guideline 6
· if you choose to drink, you should take particular care to stay
within the levels set out in Guideline 1, and you should consult your
doctor or pharmacist about possible side-effects;
· you may need to consider not drinking at all, if you find it
difficult to keep your drinking within these Guideline levels; and
· you may need to stop drinking entirely if symptoms persist.

Research has shown that drinking above the levels set in Guideline 1,
and particularly at high risk levels, leads to poorer outcomes for
people with a mental health problem.

In particular, if you are depressed and sometimes drink excessively,
you are at much greater risk of self-harm and suicide, especially if
you also regularly drink above Guideline levels.

Heavy drinking can also aggravate symptoms in people with depression
and anxiety. While alcohol consumption may bring you some relief from
anxiety and stress in the short term, it can also worsen your mood in
the long term, especially at higher levels of consumption.

There is also some evidence to show that people with schizophrenia
have poorer outcomes if they use alcohol.

With some mental health problems, the risk of alcohol dependence is
significantly increased, particularly if you drink to relieve anxiety
or change your mood.

Most of the medications used for mental health problems interact with
alcohol. If you have a mental health problem, you should discuss your
alcohol intake with your doctor.

If you are the carer of a person with a mental health problem, you can
encourage that person to stay within Guideline levels, or to abstain
if necessary.

Alcohol can also disrupt your sleep. Even one or two drinks may reduce
the quality of your sleep and cause early morning waking.

Guideline 7
· you should carefully read the labels and pamphlets with your
medications (including herbal preparations) to check for harmful
interactions with alcohol. You may need to reduce your drinking or
stop drinking alcohol altogether;
· you are advised to be very cautious if you drink alcohol while using
benzodiazepines, heroin, methadone or other central nervous system
depressants;
· if you take a number of medications, you are at greater risk of
increasing the effects of alcohol and/or decreasing the effectiveness
of your medication - you may need to reduce your drinking or stop
drinking alcohol completely; and
· you should consult your doctor or a pharmacist to discuss any
possible interaction of your medication with alcohol.

Alcohol can interact with many prescribed and over-the counter
medications. This can alter the effects of alcohol and/or the
medication. Some herbal preparations also interact with alcohol.

Even at low levels, drinking can cause problems due to interactions
with some medications. Response varies from person to person. Such
interactions can have serious implications if you are driving or
operating machinery.

Alcohol dampens activity in the brain, and it can be particularly
dangerous, or even lethal, when used with medications or other drugs,
legal or illegal, that have similar effects (that is, that they
depress the central nervous system).

For more information on medications that may interact with alcohol,
talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

Guideline 8
· you are advised, if you drink, to consider drinking less than the
levels set in Guideline 1.

Everyone ages at a different rate, and as you age you will need to
reassess your drinking regularly.

While alcohol has psychological, social and health benefits for many
older people, the body's ability to process alcohol decreases with
age.

You may need to reduce your drinking or stop drinking completely to
avoid harmful interactions with medications.

With age you are more susceptible to the effects of alcohol because:
· you are at increased risk of falls;
· your driving may be affected;
· any medications you take may have a harmful effect when combined
with alcohol; and
· as you continue to age the total water content of your body
decreases, so that a given amount of alcohol tends to produce a higher
blood alcohol level.

Regarding the prevention of heart disease:
· you can achieve the potential benefits of alcohol with as little as
one to two standard drinks per day for men, and less than one per day
for women; but
· you can gain similar benefits from other strategies, such as regular
exercise, giving up smoking and a healthy diet.

Guideline 9
· you are especially urged not to drink beyond the levels set in
Guideline 1;
· you should not drink at all for at least several hours before you
undertake potentially risky activities (for example, driving, swimming
and boating); and
· you should not mix alcohol with other mood altering drugs.

Many young adults drink at low risk levels. However if you are a young
adult, you are in the age group that is most likely to experience
alcohol-related harm, according to statistics. Young adults have the
highest alcohol consumption and are the age group at highest risk of
alcohol-related injury including road trauma, violence, sexual
coercion, falls, accidental death (including drowning), and suicide.
Younger, less experienced drinkers are at even higher risk due to
their lower alcohol tolerance.

If you are a learner driver or a provisional licence holder, you must
avoid alcohol in the hours before driving, to meet legal requirements
in all States and Territories. You need to weigh up the expected
benefits of drinking alcohol against increased risk taking, loss of
inhibitions, reduced decision making skills, overdose related to a low
tolerance to alcohol and the increased risk of accidents, violence and
unwanted sexual activity.
Ways you can lessen the risk of harm from drinking include:
· alternating alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks;
· choosing low alcohol drinks;
· eating while drinking;
· staying with friends rather than driving; and
· not accepting lifts with a drunk driver.

The effect of alcohol in protecting against heart disease has shown to
be relevant only for people over about 40 years. There is no evidence
to suggest that it is relevant for younger age groups.

*While this Guideline applies to everyone, it is particularly
important if you are aged about 18-25 years. The issues and concerns
also overlap with those covered under Guideline 10 for young people
(up to about 18 years).

Guideline 10
You should follow the recommendations under Guideline 9 and:
· if you choose not to drink, others should support your decision;
· in settings where alcohol is available to you, you should be under
adult supervision at all times;
· you should keep your drinking to a minimum;
· most importantly, you should not drink to become intoxicated; and
· to become a responsible adult drinker, a gradual, supervised
introduction to alcohol is recommended.

A younger person's ability to cope with alcohol is influenced by their
physical size and stage of development. Young people generally have a
smaller body size than adults, and therefore tolerate less alcohol.
They also lack experience of alcohol and its effects. This lack of
experience also means that their bodies have not developed any
tolerance to alcohol.

There is research from the United States to show that the earlier a
young person starts to drink, the greater the risk of alcohol-related
problems later in life.

Drinking by young people is very common, although there are also many
young people who do not drink. Opinions vary about the best age to
start drinking. Some cultures introduce children to very diluted
alcoholic drinks at a young age.

Loss of inhibitions and decision-making skills place young people at
particular risk of violence, accidents and sexual coercion.

Helping young people to learn about drinking and the effects of
alcohol within a safe and supportive environment can help them to
manage their drinking in ways that minimise the risk to themselves and
to others, both when they are young and throughout their adult years.

This Guideline should be interpreted within the context of the
relevant State/Territory laws in relation to alcohol and young people.

Guideline 11
· you should consider not drinking at all;
· most importantly, you should never become intoxicated;
· if you choose to drink, you should have less than 7 standard drinks
over a week, AND no more than 2 standard drinks (spread over at least
two hours) on any one day; and
· you should note that the risk is highest in the earlier stages of
pregnancy, including the time from conception to the first missed
period.

Alcohol in a woman's blood stream passes to her unborn child, and this
may affect the child from conception onwards. It is difficult to
identify the exact levels of drinking which may cause harm to the
child, and for this reason, you may consider not drinking at all.

The limited evidence available indicates that if you average less than
one drink per day, there will be no measurable impact on the physical
and mental development of your child. The evidence indicates that
episodes of drinking above the Guideline levels considerably increase
the risk to your unborn child, including the risk of miscarriage, low
birth weight, cognitive defects and congenital abnormalities. Heavy
bouts of drinking increase that risk.

The most important consideration is for you to avoid a high blood
alcohol level at any time during your pregnancy. The first weeks after
conception are probably the most critical in relation to alcohol and
you may not be aware of the pregnancy at this stage.

This Guideline is therefore important not only for women who are
pregnant, but also for those who are planning to become pregnant.

Good antenatal care and good diet, including folate and vitamin B
supplements, and not smoking are all also very important.

Alcohol and Pregnancy: No blame No shame! is the sequel to Alcohol and
Pregnancy: A Mother's Responsible Disturbance!

It explores how prenatal alcohol exposure has affected the lives.
Stories include those of a mother challenged by symptoms consistent
with FASD whose baby, now a teenager, was pre-natally exposed to
alcohol, and the exasperation of a young woman with pFAS trying to
live her life consistent with her family's values but repeatedly
falling short of her goal.

These stories highlight how they coped, their strategies, mistakes,
pain and heartache and their triumphs and tragedies and how difficult
it is to get appropriate professional help for this disorder.

Professor Fiona Stanley in her foreword to this book says:
"Ask most pregnant mothers what it is that they wish most for their
unborn child, and most will answer quite simply that their greatest
wish is for their child to be healthy. Their greatest fear is that
their child will be abnormal.

Yet when it comes to telling women that drinking alcohol in pregnancy
is dangerous for their child and can cause lifelong harm, many health
professionals skirt around the issue and give mixed messages. Rather
than advocating abstinence, they offer false reassurance that a few
drinks could be okay.

The truth is that there is NO safe level of alcohol consumption in
pregnancy. Society would frown upon a mother who put alcohol in a
newborn's bottle, but accepts a pregnant woman having a 'social'
drink. Women have a right to know the real harm that drinking alcohol
- even in small amounts - can do to their developing child. Armed with
knowledge, they can make good choices. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is an
entirely preventable disability - IF we have the courage to confront
it."

Focus shifts back to pregnancy drinking
Even a glass of wine a day is too much, expert warns
Picture this: a child has started school and is struggling to learn to
read. As part of the long list of questions the school and
developmental experts might start to pose to the parents comes the
question, how much did the mother drink while pregnant?

Such an up-front question was an important part of starting to gauge
the impact social drinking during pregnancy, in mothers ill-informed
they are acting responsibly, was having on the State's children, said
obstetrician Dale Hamilton, of the King Edward Memorial Hospitals'
Chemical Dependency Clinic.

Binge and excessive drinking could cause an obvious syndrome at birth,
with reduced-sized brain and facial abnormalities, but smaller amounts
of alcohol could lead to intellectual, behavioural and impulse
problems and contribute to ADHD, which were not often detected until
the child entered the classroom. Dr Hamilton warned a glass of wine a
day was too much during pregnancy. It was well above the National
Health and Medical Research Council recommendation of no more than a
standard drink of 100ml, on no more than five days a week.

But questions were now being raised about the safety of even small
amounts of alcohol and her advice was to not drink at all while
pregnant.

She urged GPs and other health professionals to get in early and
question the drinking habits of pregnant women or those trying to
conceive. She acknowledged it was easier for medical and health staff
to ignore this topic because Australia had such a pro-drinking culture
and there was a reluctance to make mothers feel guilty - but it was
vital the issue was addressed.

Some 58 per cent of WA women drink while pregnant and an estimated 57
per cent of the health problems alcohol caused in their babies were
not detected at birth, said clinic co-coordinator Claire Henderson.

The first few months of pregnancy were a particular concern. A study
of 4839 mothers by the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research
found 14.2 per cent of women drank five or more standard drinks a day
in the three months up to conception, so many exposed their babies to
high levels of alcohol before knowing they were pregnant.
The Chemical Dependency Clinic is available for any pregnant woman who
has concerns about her alcohol or drug consumption and is seeking
medical help and advice. Call 9340 2222 and ask for the clinic.
Breastfeeding: A prudent approach!
If you are breastfeeding, you are advised not to exceed the levels of
drinking recommended during pregnancy, and you may consider not
drinking at all.

Alcohol in your blood stream passes into the breast milk. There is
little research evidence available about the effect of alcohol in
breast milk on your baby. However, practitioners report that, even at
relatively low levels of drinking, it may reduce the supply of milk
and cause irritability, poor feeding and sleep disturbance in the
infant.

Guideline 12
· you should be supported in your decision not to drink and not feel
pressured to drink for potential health benefits.
There are many good health, family and social reasons why you may
choose not to drink. These include personal, cultural and religious
considerations.

The potential protection that alcohol may provide against heart
disease, and to a lesser extent gallstones or diabetes, is of
importance only for people aged from about 40 onwards when these
diseases are more common.

If you choose not to drink, a healthy diet, regular exercise and
giving up smoking will provide similar health benefits.

Talk to your GP or health care professional or you can call alcohol
and drug information services in your State/Territory:

Addiction is the paralysis of choice, lack of clarity of choice, lack
of will power to pursue flourishing choices, a disease of the will
drives.

Addiction is a disease with clinical features, genetics, natural
history, response to treatment and biological markers.

(Alcoholism, Narcotic & Drug Addiction Intervention Resources).
·Dedicated to improving recovery from Addiction by conducting Clinical
Research, Collaborating & Communicating Scientific findings.
·Address the Complexities of Addiction & Recovery across the continuum
of care.
·Individual & Group Counselling, Multicultural Counselling, Mental
Health Complications & Adolescent Development.

Last, but not the least; Recovery from Addiction is possible, there is
Hope & there is a Life beyond the Pain.

More Information & Queries!

INAMULLAH ANSARI
(M.Sc, M.A, LL.B, ISO-9000)
B.E (Addiction & Intervention Solutions)
addiction.counsellor@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Hotline +92300-2176393 Continuous
Help-Chat @ MSN/YAHOO: interventionist.addictionologist

ANONYMITY ASSURED:
narcotics.anonymous@xxxxxxxxxxxx
alcoholics.anonymous@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Alcohol Guidelines
For more information about the Australian Alcohol Guidelines (Health
Risks and Benefits):
www.alcoholguidelines.gov.au
For more information
Consumer Information Booklet
Production details
Publisher:
Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing
GPO Box 9848 Canberra ACT 2601
Internet:
www.alcoholguidelines.gov.au
Executive Producers:
Health Advisory Committee and Secretariat of the NHMRC,
and Alcohol, Substance Misuse and Injury Prevention Section
of the Department of Health and Ageing
Expert Contributors:
From the NHMRC Working Party:
Professor Ann Roche
Professor Tim Stockwell
Dr Alex Wodak
with
Reference Group:
Professor Margaret Hamilton
Dr Rosemary Stanton
Mr Terry Mott
Mr David Crosbie
© Commonwealth of Australia 2003
ISBN Print: 0 642 82210 7
Publications approval number 3212
For people who choose not to drink alcohol
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Country: 1800 422 599
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Western Australia
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Country: 1800 198 024
Australian Alcohol Guidelines
For more information about the Australian Alcohol Guidelines (Health
Risks and Benefits):
www.alcoholguidelines.gov.au

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