How to cut back your drinking
If you’re worried about your drinking, or just want to drink less and feel healthier, there are some simple steps you can take to change your habits.
Check out some of our strategies and resources, and read on for where to find help if you need it.
How do I know if I’m drinking too much?
Find out more about what ‘risky’ drinking habits might look like.
The Australian guidelines recommend:
- to reduce the risk of harm from alcohol-related disease (like cancer) or injury for healthy adults, drink no more than 10 standard drinks per week and no more than 4 standard drinks on any one day
- anyone under 18 and those who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not drink alcohol.
Drinking Calculator
To find out how your drinking measures up, try out the quick and interactive Drinking Calculator
Australian alcohol guidelines
While there’s no safe level of drinking, the guidelines provide a framework for how to stay healthy and protect yourself and your family from alcohol harm.
How can I cut back on my drinking?
Discover effective strategies to gradually reduce your alcohol intake.
If you think there are changes you’d like to make to your drinking, have a look the steps you can take.
Wanting to change your drinking habits doesn’t necessarily mean you need treatment. Plenty of us want to drink less, and just need a bit of support in making some lifestyle changes to achieve this.
- How do I reduce my drinking?
- Alcohol diary Keeping a diary can help you understand how and why you drink and identify any patterns or risky situations. The Alcohol Diary is a booklet that you can download or print out. It's got lots of info on alcohol, tips for helping you to make a change, guidelines for support people, and plenty of space for you to write down and track your drinking habits.
- What medications can help me stop drinking?
- Safely withdrawing from alcohol
What help is available?
There’s a huge range of resources and help available to help you cut down, or stop, drinking.
If you’re making changes to your drinking, you’re not alone and support is available.
The important first step is understanding what type of support you need and where you can find it.