Teetotalism advocacy by organization

• The World Health Organization published a statement in The Lancet Public Health in April 2023 that "there is no safe amount that does not affect health"'.^[2]
• The 2023 Nordic Nutrition Recommendations state "Since no safe limit for alcohol consumption can be provided, the recommendation in NNR2023 is that everyone should avoid drinking alcohol."^[3]
• The American Heart Association recommends that those who do not already consume alcoholic beverages should not start doing so because of the negative long-term effects of alcohol consumption.^[4][5]

Recommended alcohol intake limitations

By country

For Standard drinks (stated in the references) to grams ethanol, see Standard drink § Definitions in various countries.

Not to be confused with List of countries with alcohol prohibition.

Some governments set the same recommendation for both sexes, while others give separate limits. The guidelines give drink amounts in a variety of formats, such as standard drinks, fluid ounces, or milliliters, but have been converted to grams of ethanol for ease of comparison.

The daily limits range from 10-30 g per day for men and 10-24 g per day for women. Weekly limits range from 27-252 g/week for men and 27-168 g/week for women. The weekly limits are lower than the daily limits, meaning intake on a particular day may be higher than one-seventh of the weekly amount, but consumption on other days of the week should be lower. The limits for women are often but not always lower than those for men.

More information Country (or region), Teetotalism recommended ...

Country (or region)	Teetotalism recommended	Low risk				Medium to high risk				Details
		Day		Week		Day		Week
		Men	Women	Men	Women	Men	Women	Men	Women
Australia		40 g		100 g						Reference.[7][8]
Austria		24 g	16 g
Canada	"Not drinking has benefits, such as better health, and better sleep."[9]			27 g						The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction has a sliding scale of intakes. The scale states that at 27 g or less per week, "you are likely to avoid alcohol-related consequences for yourself or others".[9]
Czech Republic		24 g	16 g
Denmark		48 g		120 g						Reference.[10]
Finland				168 g	84 g					Reference.[11]
Germany	Alcoholic beverages pose health risks and ideally should be avoided completely.[12]									The German Centre for Addiction Issues recommends everyone to reduce alcohol consumption, regardless of the amounts consumed.[12]
Hong Kong		20 g	10 g							Reference.[13]
Iceland		32 g								"Stop drinking before reaching five drinks on the same occasion". 1 standard drink in Iceland = 8 g ethanol. 8 g x 4 drinks = 32 g.[14]
Ireland				170 g	140 g					Reference.[15]
Italy		24 g	12 g							Reference.[16]
Japan		40 g	20 g							Reference.[17]
Netherlands	Recommends an alcohol consumption level of zero grams.	10 g								The Health Council of the Netherlands recommends an alcohol consumption level of zero or no more than 10 g per day.[18]
New Zealand		30 g	20 g	150 g	100 g	50 g	40 g			At least two alcohol-free days every week. 30 g for men, 20 g for women To reduce long-term health risks[19] 50 g for men, 40 g for women On any single occasion, to reduce risk of injury.[19]
Norway		20 g	10 g							Reference.[20]
Portugal		37 g	18.5 g							Reference.[21]
Spain		30 g	20 g							Also suggests a maximum of no more than twice this on any one occasion.[21]
Sweden	"Not possible to specify a limit for risk-free alcohol consumption."[22]					48 g		120 g		The National Board of Health and Welfare defines risky consumption as 10 (Swedish) standard drinks per week (120 g), and 4 standard drinks (48 g) or more per occasion, once per month or more often. Alcohol intervention is offered for people who exceed these recommendations.[22]
Switzerland		30 g	20–24 g							Reference.[18]
United Kingdom	"There's no completely safe level of drinking."[23]			112 g a week, spread across 3 days or more.						Reference.[23]
USA	"People who do not drink should not start drinking for any reason."[24]	28 g	14 g	196 g	98 g					Reference.[24]

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Specific populations

Pregnant women

Main article: Alcohol and pregnancy

Excessive drinking during pregnancy, especially in the first eight to twelve weeks, is associated with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders such as abnormal appearance and behavioral problems. Although low-to-moderate drinking of less than 12g/day is not known to significantly increase the chance of such disorders,^[1][25] most guidelines state that no safe amount of alcohol consumption has been established and recommend that pregnant women abstain entirely from alcohol.^[26][27] As there may be some weeks between conception and confirmation of pregnancy, most guidelines also recommend that women trying or likely to become pregnant should avoid alcohol as well.

• Australia: Total abstinence during pregnancy and if planning a pregnancy^[28][29]
• Canada: "Don't drink if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant."^[30]
• France: Total abstinence^[18]
• Hong Kong: "Abstinence from alcohol during pregnancy is the safest choice."^[31]
• Iceland: Advise that pregnant women abstain from alcohol during pregnancy because no safe consumption level exists.^[18]
• Israel: Women should avoid consuming alcohol before and during pregnancy^[18][32]
• The Netherlands: Abstinence^[18]
• New Zealand: "Women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant should avoid drinking alcohol."^[33]
• Norway: Abstinence^[18][34]
• Sweden: Abstinence.^[35]
• UK: Abstinence during pregnancy^[36]
• US: Total abstinence during pregnancy and while planning to become pregnant^[37]

Breastfeeding women

Not to be confused with Alcohol and breast cancer.

"Alcohol passes to the baby in small amounts in breast milk. The milk will smell different to the baby and may affect their feeding, sleeping or digestion. The best advice is to avoid drinking shortly before a baby's feed."^[38] "Alcohol inhibits a mother's let-down (the release of milk to the nipple). Studies have shown that babies take around 20% less milk if there's alcohol present, so they'll need to feed more often – although infants have been known to go on 'nursing strike', probably because of the altered taste of the milk."^[39] "There is little research evidence available about the effect that [alcohol in breast milk] has on the baby, although practitioners report that, even at relatively low levels of drinking, it may reduce the amount of milk available and cause irritability, poor feeding and sleep disturbance in the infant. Given these concerns, a prudent approach is advised."^[40]

• Australia: Total abstinence advised^[28][29]
• Hong Kong: "Avoid alcohol and alcoholic drinks."^[41]
• Iceland: Total abstinence advised because no safe consumption level exists.
• New Zealand: Abstinence recommended, especially in the first month of breastfeeding so that sound breastfeeding patterns can be established.^[33]
• United Kingdom: Total abstinence advised by some, such as the Royal College of Midwives; others advise to limit alcohol to occasional use in small amounts not exceeding the recommended maximums for non-breastfeeding woman as this is known to cause harm, and that daily or binge drinking be avoided.^[39]

Minors

See also: Legal drinking age

Countries have different recommendations concerning the administration of alcohol to minors by adults.

• United Kingdom: Children aged under 15 should never be given alcohol, even in small quantities. Children aged 15–17 should not be given alcohol on more than one day a week – and then only under supervision from carers or parents.^[42][43][44]

Elderly

• Italy: 12 g/day for men over 65.^[16]
• Japan: Less than 29 g/day for the elderly (and women).^[18]

By country

• USA: The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines the term "binge drinking" as a pattern of drinking that brings a person's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 percent or above.^[46] Whatever the numerical definition used, heavy drinking or rapid consumption over a short period of time with the intention of becoming intoxicated is often implied when the term is used colloquially, since four or five drinks consumed over the course of a whole day and as an accompaniment to meals will not have the same effects as the same amount consumed over a couple of hours on an empty stomach.^[47]

Specific populations

Risk factors

The recommended limits for daily or weekly consumption provided in the various countries' guidelines generally apply to the average healthy adult. However, many guidelines also set out numerous conditions under which alcohol intake should be further restricted or eliminated. They may stipulate that, among other things, people with liver, kidney, or other chronic disease, cancer risk factors, smaller body size, young or advanced age, those who have experienced issues with mental health, sleep disturbances, alcohol or drug dependency or who have a close family member who has, or who are taking medication that may interact with alcohol,^[49] or suffering or recovering from an illness or accident, are urged to consider, in consultation with their health professionals, a different level of alcohol use, including reduction or abstention.

Activities

Furthermore, the maximum amounts allowed do not apply to those involved with activities such as operating vehicles or machinery, risky sports or other activities, or those responsible for the safety of others.^[40][50][51]

Moreover, studies suggest even moderate alcohol consumption may significantly impair – neurobiologically beneficial and -demanding – exercise (possibly including the recovery and adaptation).^{[52][53][54][55]}

Daily consumption, habituation and addiction

As of 2022, moderate consumption levels of alcoholic beverages are typically defined in terms of average consumption per day. However, when drinking becomes a chronic daily activity the consumption puts individuals at an increased health risk^{[56][medical citation needed][additional citation(s) needed]} as it may lead to habituation, desensitization (consumption-induced tolerance), progressively increasing average dosages and addiction.^{[citation needed]}

According to the CDC, it would be important to focus on the amount people drink on the days that they drink.^[57] However, few studies or guidelines distinguish between or compare "moderate consumption" patterns (i.e. frequency, timing and dosage/intensity^[58] per session) of occasional drinking and daily drinking.^{[citation needed]} One review showed that among drinkers (not limited to moderate consumption levels), daily drinking in comparison to non-daily drinking was associated with incidence of liver cirrhosis.^[59]

Harmful physiological effects

Emerging evidence suggests that "even drinking within the recommended limits may increase the overall risk of death from various causes, such as from several types of cancer". Better health outcomes among moderate drinkers that some studies reported may be due to the moderate alcohol consumption itself but they may also instead be caused by "other differences in behaviors or genetics between people who drink moderately and people who don't". According to the CDC, recent studies indicate moderate consumption may not have the protective health benefits.^[57] A systematic analysis found that "The level of alcohol consumption that minimised harm across health outcomes was zero (95% UI 0·0–0·8) standard drinks per week".^[60]