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THE AUSTRALIAN GUIDELINES TO REDUCE
HEALTH RISKS FROM DRINKING ALCOHOL
The Australian Alcohol Guidelines state that for adults:
• Drinking no more than
2 standard drinks
on any day reduces the
life time risk
of alcohol-related harm.
• Drinking no more than
4 standard drinks
on a single occasion reduces the risk of
alcohol-related injury arising
from that occasion.
• For young people aged below 15 years, the safest option is to
not drink at all.
For young people aged between 15 and 17 years, the safest option is to delay the initiation of
drinking for as long as possible. If drinking does occur, it should be at a low-risk level and in a
safe environment, supervised by adults.
WHY ARE YOUNGER PEOPLE RECOMMENDED
TO DRINK LESS THAN ADULTS
?
The reasons younger people should drink less than adults are that:
• Younger people’s ability to cope with alcohol is influenced by their physical size and stage
of development. Younger people generally have a smaller body size than adults, and can
therefore tolerate less alcohol.
• Younger people lack experience of drinking and its effects and have no way of knowing
how different quantities of alcohol will affect them. Their bodies’ lack of experience with
alcohol also means that their bodies are less able to tolerate the effects of alcohol
Climate Schools - Alcohol & Cannabis Lesson 1