What is a standard drink?
Standard drinks help you measure how much alcohol you’re drinking. Knowing what counts as a standard drink makes it easier to keep track of your drinking.
If you choose to drink, it’s safest to follow the National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines: no more than 10 standard drinks per week and no more than 4 standard drinks on any single day.
How much alcohol is in a standard drink?
In Australia, one standard drink contains 10 grams of pure alcohol. To find out how many standard drinks you’re having, check the label. It’s required by law to show the approximate number of standard drinks.
But in real life, it can be tricky to judge. Different drinks have different alcohol content, and the size of your glass or bottle matters. One glass might contain more than one standard drink, depending on what you’re drinking and how much is poured, and many beers and pre-mixed drinks have more than one standard drink per bottle.
The type of alcohol (wine, beer or spirits) doesn’t make any difference to cancer risk.
How many standard drinks?
