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Alcohol
Alcohol - an overview
Alcohol is a legal but mood-changing drug. Read more about alcohol’s effects on the body, about safe drinking, ‘standard drinks’ and more.
Alcoholism at home
Signs of alcoholism can include secretive drinking, and blacking out after drinking. Drinking too much can impact mental health and relationships.
Binge drinking
Alcohol is so much an accepted part of Australia's social culture that many people are not aware of the dangers of binge drinking.
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is a name given to a range of conditions. Learn more about FASD and the risks with drinking alcohol during pregnancy.
How alcohol affects your health
Many of us drink alcohol to relax, but drinking too much can affect your health. Learn more here about the effects of alcohol on your body.
Managing your alcohol intake
Know how to drink safely and responsibly using these strategies and tips, as well as links to online tools to help you manage your drinking.
Medicines and alcohol
Alcohol can interact with some medication, including over the counter medicines. Learn more about possible complications of medicines and alcohol.
Top 7 tips for safe drinking
Drinking can be fun, let’s be honest. But too much can lead to accidents, embarrassment and health problems. Follow this advice to drink safely.
Need more information?
These trusted information partners have more on this topic.
Top results
How alcohol works | Alcohol | ReachOut Australia
Do you know that drinking too much alcohol effects brain & body behaviour. Know about alcohol facts and why its addiction is bad for your overall health.
Read more on ReachOut.com website
Healthy alcohol consumption on New Year's Eve | myVMC
New Year's Eve is a night when a lot of people attend social gatherings. People typically drink alcohol on New Year's Eve, and while many people drink responsibly, binge drinking is also common amongst people of all ages.
Read more on myVMC – Virtual Medical Centre website
Alcohol addiction | ReachOut Australia
Alcohol addiction or alcoholism refers to the physical or emotional dependence on alcohol. Find out the signs of alcohol addiction, the effects and treatment here.
Read more on ReachOut.com website
Alcohol :: SA Health
An introduction to the section on alcohol including information for people with alcohol problems, community members and health professionals
Read more on SA Health website
Drinking responsibly | MensLine Australia
What is a safe amount of alcohol to drink? Visit MensLine Australia for support, advice and tips on drinking alcohol responsibly.
Read more on MensLine Australia website
Tips for drinking responsibly | Alcohol | ReachOut Australia
Learn some tips on being a responsible drinker. Find out how you can control your alcohol intake and enjoy drinking responsibly and safely.
Read more on ReachOut.com website
Alcohol recommendations
The National Guidelines for Alcohol Consumption recommend limiting alcohol intake to no more than 2.0 standard drinks per day for men and women.
Read more on Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute website
New campaign to encourage new and expecting mums to not drink alcohol
A new campaign launched by the Australian Government is encouraging expecting and new mothers to not drink alcohol to reduce the impact of alcohol-related conditions on unborn and newborn babies.
Read more on Pregnancy, Birth & Baby website
Alcohol and liver health - Hepatitis C - Heaptitis NSW
General advice about the impact of alcohol on the health of your liver, the Australian Alcohol Guidelines, and tips on managing your alcohol intake.
Read more on Hepatitis NSW website
Pregnancy and Alcohol Consumption | myVMC
When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, it also enters the bloodstream of her foetus, and when excessive amounts of alcohol are consumed they can have damaging effects on the foetus.
Read more on myVMC – Virtual Medical Centre website
Top results
Acamprosate for alcohol dependent patients | Cochrane
Alcohol dependence is an important health risk factor that can lead to disability and death for people in developed and developing countries. Alcohol consumption is potentially avoidable, which emphasizes the need for effective strategies to help people who are dependent on alcohol to reduce excessive drinking and maintain abstinence following detoxification. Psychosocial programs have limited success in preventing relapse after detoxification programs. The addition of a pharmacological agent could provide support in achieving or maintaining abstinence or to cut down alcohol consumption. The synthetic glutamate antagonist acamprosate and naltrexone, which is an opioid antagonist, are used for this purpose.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Psychological and educational interventions to reduce alcohol consumption by pregnant women | Cochrane
Many women continue to consume alcohol when they are pregnant. Drinking seven or more standard drinks per week may be harmful, and can cause growth restrictions in babies; binge drinking and heavy alcohol consumption can lead to learning difficulties, behaviour problems and physical disabilities in children. Government policies acknowledge that the occasional drink is not likely to cause harm but that abstinence from alcohol in pregnancy eliminates any possible risks. Psychological and educational interventions (such as supportive counselling sessions and brief educational sessions) may help women to reduce their alcohol intake during pregnancy.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Ultrasonography for diagnosis of alcoholic cirrhosis in people with alcoholic liver disease | Cochrane
Heavy alcohol consumption causes alcoholic liver disease and may lead to a number of other concomitant diseases. Alcohol may damage the function of body organs and can cause cancer. Liver damage due to excessive alcohol consumption is usually presented as fatty liver (build-up of fats in the liver), steatohepatitis (inflammation of the liver with concurrent fat accumulation in the liver), fibrosis (fibrous degeneration), alcoholic cirrhosis (scarring of the liver), and hepatocellular carcinoma (most common type of liver cancer). When liver fibrosis progresses, alcoholic cirrhosis occurs.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Psychosocial interventions for women enrolled in alcohol treatment during pregnancy | Cochrane
Pregnancy can be seen as a window of opportunity where women may seek treatment for their addictions out of concern for their unborn child. Worldwide estimates of alcohol usage report that a large proportion of women continue to drink during their pregnancy. Light alcohol consumption has not been associated with adverse effects on a woman's baby, while excessive consumption of alcohol has been shown to cause a number of birth defects as well as foetal alcohol syndrome. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy is the most widely recognized cause of severe mental and developmental delay in the baby. Therefore pregnancy is an important point in time to treat women for their alcohol dependence. This review sought to find all trials which compared any psychosocial intervention to other treatment or no treatment for pregnant or postpartum women in alcohol treatment. No articles were found which fit our inclusion criteria; most trials assessed psychosocial interventions to reduce alcohol consumption in pregnant or reproductive age women, not pregnant or post-partum women in alcohol treatment. We defined alcohol treatment as when the authors stated the women were in alcohol treatment or any validated psychosocial intervention for the treatment of alcohol dependence. Control trials need to be performed on this population of women to determine the most effective therapy for pregnant women seeking treatment for their alcohol dependence.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Magnesium for the prevention or treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome in adults | Cochrane
Alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) is a set of symptoms experienced when one reduces or stops alcohol consumption after prolonged periods of alcohol intake. Some studies show that AWS coincides with low levels of magnesium in the blood. Since magnesium may play a role in dampening the excitability of the central nervous system, some researchers believe that low levels of magnesium may make the central nervous system 'hyper-excitable' and may cause AWS symptoms, which include sleeplessness, tremors, anxiety, headache, excessive sweating and reduced appetite. Many AWS treatment protocols therefore recommend magnesium supplementation.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Are interventions that are implemented in alcohol server settings (e.g. bars and pubs) effective for preventing injuries? | Cochrane
Are interventions that are implemented in alcohol server settings (e.g. bars and pubs) effective for preventing injuries?
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Psychosocial and Developmental Alcohol Misuse Prevention in Schools can be effective | Cochrane
We conducted a Cochrane systematic review of 53 well-designed experimental studies that examined the effectiveness of school-based universal programs for the prevention of alcohol misuse in young people. The studies were divided into two major groups based on the nature of the prevention program: 1) programs targeting specifically prevention or reduction of alcohol misuse and 2) generic programs with wider focus for prevention (e.g., other drug use/abuse, antisocial behavior). In the review we found studies that showed no effects of the preventive program, as well as studies that demonstrated statistically significant effects. There was no easily discernible pattern in program characteristics that would distinguish studies with positive results from those with no effects. Most commonly observed positive effects across programs were for drunkenness and binge drinking. In conclusion, current evidence suggests that certain generic psychosocial and developmental prevention programs can be effective and could be considered as policy and practice options. These include the Life Skills Training Program, the Unplugged program, and the Good Behaviour Game.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Family-based alcohol misuse prevention for young people can be effective | Cochrane
We conducted a Cochrane systematic review of 12 randomised controlled trials that examined the effectiveness of family-based universal programs for the prevention of alcohol misuse in young people. In family settings, universal prevention typically takes the form of supporting the development of parenting skills including parental support, nurturing behaviours, establishing clear boundaries or rules, and parental monitoring. Social and peer resistance skills, the development of behavioural norms and positive peer affiliations can also be addressed with a universal family-based preventive program.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Thiamine for prevention and treatment of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome in people who abuse alcohol | Cochrane
Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (WKS) is a disorder of the brain caused by a deficiency of vitamin B1 (thiamine). It is characterised by an acute onset of some or all of an eye movement disorder, lack of voluntary coordination of muscle movement (ataxia) and confusion. Patients may die in the acute phase, and many survivors go on to develop permanent memory impairment. Alcohol abuse is an important cause of WKS, although it is not the only consideration. Heavy drinking may lead to particular problems with uptake of thiamine from the diet.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Universal multi-component alcohol misuse prevention for young people can be effective | Cochrane
We conducted a Cochrane systematic review of 20 randomised controlled trials that examined the effectiveness of universal multi-component programs for the prevention of alcohol misuse in young people. Multi-component prevention programs are defined as those prevention efforts that deliver interventions in multiple settings, for example in both school and family settings, typically combining school curricula with a parenting intervention.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
