How much alcohol is too much?
- Jun 9
- 2 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
In Australia, many people drink more than they realise. “Too much” isn't just how many drinks you have. "Too much" can also mean patterns of drinking that slowly affect your health, mood, relationships and work.
Signs You May Be Drinking Too Much
You may be drinking excessively if you:
- Need a drink to relax, sleep, socialise or cope with stress
- Find it hard to stop once you start
- Plan to have “one or two” and often have far more
- Feel guilty or secretive about your drinking
- Notice health changes: low mood, anxiety, poor sleep, weight gain, high blood pressure, or memory issues
- Regularly drink more than the guidelines below
“Too Much” Is About Impact, Not Just Quantity
If alcohol is:
- Taking up more space in your life than you’d like
- Getting in the way of your goals, health
or relationships
- Something you feel uneasy about but struggle to change
These are early signals that you might give some thought to.
Australian Guidelines: A Starting Point
The Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol recommend:
- No more than 10 standard drinks a week, and
- No more than 4 standard drinks on any one day,
- Every level of drinking is considered unsafe for everyone.
A ‘standard drink’ is the way we measure alcohol in our drinks in Australia. A ‘standard drink' is 12.5 ml of pure alcohol.
Because different drinks contain different quantities of pure alcohol it can be difficult to know exactly how much pure alcohol is being consumed.
This is why the containers of alcoholic beverages such as bottles, cans and so on, are required to specify on the container how many standard drinks there are in the contents.
Many people are surprised when they convert what they drink into standard drinks. A “couple of glasses” can easily become 4–6 standard drinks without realising.
If this is sounding familiar and uncomfortable… unfortunately, the early signals do not usually just disappear without you doing something about it.
How We Can Help – The Sinclair Method
Our service uses The Sinclair Method (TSM), a medical approach that:
- Uses a non-sedating medication (prescribed by a doctor) only before drinking
- Gradually reduces craving and the “reward” you feel from alcohol over time
- Allows many people to cut down significantly or eventually lose interest in drinking
- Can be used by people who wish to drink less rather than try to stop altogether overnight
-Does all of the above with a personalised program of evidenced-based counselling support designed to achieve lasting change.
If you’re unsure whether your drinking is “too much,” you don’t have to decide alone. We can help you assess your drinking and discuss options that fit your life, including TSM.
