Good practice principles low rik drinking EU RARHA

Core guidelines
Compiled by the National Institute for Health
Reducing alcohol consumption to a level where the risk of health harm is low is beneficial for health,
whether by avoiding alcohol, drinking less frequently or drinking less at a time. There is no safe level of
alcohol consumption.
Risk of health harm from alcohol for healthy adults
Men
Women
Low risk 1) On average no more than 2
drinks/day
On average no more than 1
drink/day
Moderate risk Prolonged consumption of
more than 14 drinks/week
High risk 2) Consumption of 23-24
drinks/week or more
1) For men maximum 20g of pure alcohol, for women 10g.
2) For men 40g of pure alcohol or more, for women 20g.
Prolonged consumption of
more than 7 drinks/week
Consumption of 12-16
drinks/week or more
Probably no risk of harm
for a healthy working-age
person
Changes in laboratory tests
are possible.
Significant increase in
morbidity and risk of death.
Risks from alcohol
• To reduce risk of harm from drunkenness, limit drinking on any occasion to 5-6 drinks.
• Even a small amount of alcohol increases the risk of harm for young people. Starting to drink
should be postponed as long as possible.
• Health status and medication should be taken into account when assessing older people’s
alcohol consumption. Reducing consumption with advanced age is advised in any case.
Situations where alcohol consumption should be avoided
• No alcohol is safest during pregnancy. Heavy drinking should be avoided when planning
pregnancy and during the lactation period.
• The share of alcohol from the daily energy intake should not exceed 5%.
• Harmful interactions are possible when alcohol is consumed while on medication; some
medicines call for abstinence, others for minimising alcohol consumption.
• People with symptoms of depression should avoid alcoholic beverages.
• Driving under the influence of alcohol entails risk.
• Alcohol consumption and drunkenness are not permitted at work.
One unit equals 12g of pure alcohol.
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