What is alcohol?

Alcohol usually refers to drinks, such as:

• beer
• wine
• spirits

Alcohol is a type of depressant. Depressants are drugs that slow down the messages between your central nervous system and your body. This means that alcohol can prevent your body from functioning properly.

Alcohol contains a chemical called ethanol. Ethanol is the ingredient that causes the effects of alcohol on your body and brain. It's a legal drug.

How does alcohol impact my body?

When you drink alcohol, it's absorbed into your blood through your stomach and small intestine. It then travels to all parts of your body, including your brain. Alcohol generally only takes a few minutes to reach your brain.

How quickly you absorb alcohol depends on different factors, such as:

• your age
• your sex
• your weight and how much muscle you have
• your experience with alcohol
• if you have taken medicines or other drugs
• your liver health

The more you drink, the higher the amount of alcohol in your blood. This is called your blood alcohol concentration (BAC).

Your liver is the main organ that removes alcohol from your bloodstream. Your liver will take about one hour to break down one standard drink. The more you drink, the more strain is placed on your liver to process the alcohol.

The only way to lower your BAC is with time. You cannot lower your BAC by:

• vomiting
• taking a cold shower
• drinking coffee or other caffeinated drinks

What is a standard drink?

It can be hard to work out exactly what a standard drink is. This is because the number of standard drinks will depend on:

• what type of alcoholic drink you are having
• the volume (how much) you drink

In Australia, one standard drink contains 10 grams (g) of pure alcohol. This amount of alcohol is found in approximately:

• 30 millilitres (mL) of spirits (1 shot)
• 100 millilitres (mL) of wine
• 285 millilitres (mL) of full-strength beer or cider
• 375 millilitres (mL) of mid-strength beer
• 425 millilitres (mL) of light-strength beer

Check the label of any bottle, can or cask of alcohol. The label will tell you how many standard drinks it contains.

View this information in a poster: Know your standard drinks.

How can alcohol impact me?

Drinking too much alcohol can negatively affect your:

• physical and mental health
• mood
• decision-making

Excessive alcohol consumption is a major factor in accidents. Even if you feel fine after drinking, alcohol can impact your concentration and reaction time. Alcohol can also increase your chance of being involved in violence and crime.

According to the National Drug Household Survey in 2022 to 2023:

• about 1 in 3 Australians put themselves at risk of injury or harm while drinking alcohol
• more than 1 in 5 Australians have been a victim of an alcohol related incident, including verbal or physical abuse

Read more about tips for safe and responsible drinking.

What are the short-term health effects of alcohol?

In the short term, drinking too much alcohol can cause side effects, including:

• dizziness, nausea and vomiting
• loss of coordination and balance
• slurred speech
• confusion
• blurred vision
• memory loss
• loss of consciousness

Hangover

After drinking alcohol, you may have a hangover. A hangover occurs because of the way alcohol affects your body, and can cause symptoms such as:

• a headache
• dry mouth
• nausea and vomiting
• shakiness
• tiredness
• anxiety
• increased blood pressure

There is no quick cure for a hangover. Time is the only way to remove alcohol from your body. There are things you can do to help with your symptoms, such as:

• drink water to treat dehydration
• eat some simple food
• take a shower
• do some exercise
• take pain relief if you have a headache or other pain
• go back to bed to sleep through the hangover

To reduce your chances of getting a hangover, you can:

• drink less or not at all
• practice safe drinking by counting how many standard drinks you have
• not drink alcohol on an empty stomach — it helps to eat before or during the time you are drinking
• drink water between alcoholic drinks

What are the long-term health effects of alcohol?

Drinking too much alcohol can impact your physical health over time.

As you drink alcohol, it passes through the walls of your stomach and small intestine into your blood. It then travels to all parts of your body.

Your brain

Alcohol only takes a few minutes to reach your brain. The more you drink, the more alcohol will reach your brain. Over time, drinking too much alcohol can increase your chance of:

• having a stroke
• developing dementia

Your liver

Your liver removes most of the alcohol in your body by breaking it down. Drinking can damage your liver, which increases your chance of developing:

• liver cirrhosis (liver scarring)
• liver failure
• liver cancer

Your heart

Heavy drinking increases your blood pressure. Over time, this places strain on your heart and may lead to:

• heart damage
• a heart attack

Fertility

Regular heavy drinking can affect your hormone levels. This may lead to reduced:

• testosterone levels in males
• libido (sexual desire)

Mental health

Drinking alcohol can change the balance of chemicals in your brain. This can affect your mental health and increase your chance of:

• alcohol dependence
• worsening depression or anxiety
• suicide

Cancer

Drinking alcohol can damage cells in your body over time. This increases your chance of developing certain cancers, such as cancer of the:

• mouth
• throat
• oesophagus (food pipe)
• stomach and bowel
• liver
• breast

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

No amount of alcohol is safe while you are pregnant or breastfeeding. This is because alcohol can cross into your baby's bloodstream, and also into breastmilk. Heavy drinking can even harm your baby before you know that you are pregnant.

To help keep you and your baby healthy, you should avoid drinking alcohol when you're:

• planning to become pregnant
• pregnant
• breastfeeding

How much alcohol can different people drink safely?

According to the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Guidelines, healthy adults should drink no more than:

• 10 standard drinks a week
• 4 standard drinks in any one day

Following these guidelines can reduce your risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury.

Alcohol and teenagers

People under 18 years of age have a higher chance of alcohol-related harm. This is because the brain continues to develop until about 25 years of age, making it more vulnerable to damage from alcohol.

Drinking alcohol under 18 years of age can affect your:

• performance in sports and hobbies
• ability to process emotions
• mental health

The Australian guidelines state that children and young people under the age of 18 years should not drink any alcohol.

The laws that cover alcohol and children vary between states and territories. For more information, visit the Alcohol and Drug Foundation.

You can encourage young people in your life to avoid alcohol by talking to them about:

• the harms of alcohol
• how to deal with peer pressure related to alcohol
• the potential consequences of breaking alcohol laws

You can set a good example by drinking alcohol responsibly.

Binge drinking

Binge drinking is when you drink a lot of alcohol on one occasion. This could mean:

• drinking heavily in a short period of time
• drinking a lot over multiple days

Binge drinking can increase your risk of alcohol-related harm.

Read more about binge drinking.

How does alcohol affect my driving?

Alcohol affects your:

• thinking
• reaction time
• coordination

Even small amounts of alcohol can make it harder to drive safely. In Australia in 2023, 1 in every 10 fatal car accidents was linked to alcohol.

It's against the law in Australia to drive with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) above 0.05. Learner (L) and probationary (P) drivers must have a BAC of 0.00 (zero).

To prevent drinking and driving, plan before you go out. If you are going out with friends, work out who will drive everyone home. If no one wants to be the nominated driver, you can:

• make sure you have money for a taxi or rideshare
• plan to take public transport

Resources and support

For more information about reducing the risk of harm from alcohol visit the National Health and Medical Research Council page.

The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing website has information on alcohol laws in Australia.

You can use these calculators to work out how many standard drinks you have had:

• Standard Drink Calculator by Your Room.
• How much are you really drinking? by The Right Mix.

If you or someone you know needs support for alcohol use, you can:

• visit your local community health service
• contact Alcoholics Anonymous Australia on 1300 222 222
• visit the Alcohol and Drug Foundation website
• contact DrugInfo on 1300 85 85 84

You can also call the National Alcohol and Other Drug hotline on 1800 250 015. This hotline provides free and confidential advice about alcohol and other drugs. Your call will be automatically directed to the Alcohol and Drug Information Service in your state or territory.

Languages other than English

The Health Translations page offers information in multiple languages, on topics such as:

• alcohol awareness
• alcohol and pregnancy
• alcohol and partying
• talking to your child about alcohol use

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders

The Alcohol and Drug Foundation page has information on:

• alcohol and drug treatment journey
• different types of drug and alcohol treatment
• why people drink alcohol

13YARN has a factsheet about understanding the misuse of alcohol and other drugs.

You can also call the healthdirect helpline on 1800 022 222 (known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria). A registered nurse is available to speak with you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.