Is there a safe amount of alcohol to drink?

There is convincing evidence that drinking any kind of alcohol (beer, wine or spirits) increases the risk of developing some cancers including cancers of the bowel, breast, mouth, throat, oesophagus and liver. Alcohol is also high in energy (kilojoules or calories) and can contribute to weight gain. Being above a healthy weight is also associated with higher cancer risk.

There is no safe level of alcohol use when it comes to cancer. Even drinking small amounts of alcohol increases the risk of cancer, and the more you drink the greater the risk. Unfortunately, many people are not aware that alcohol causes cancer.

If you choose to drink alcohol, Cancer Council Australia recommends you do so within the National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines, which were updated in late 2020. These guidelines recommend that 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. Reducing alcohol use would play a big role in lowering the nearly 3500 cancer cases in Australia each year currently caused by alcohol.