Learn how many standard drinks are contained in common glasses.

In Australia, a standard drink is any drink containing 10 grams of alcohol.

If you want to know how many standard drinks you’re drinking, check the label. By law, it must show the approximate number of standard drinks contained.

But in real life, knowing exactly what constitutes a ‘standard’ drink is difficult.

Different types of alcoholic beverages contain different amounts of alcohol. A glass of alcohol may contain more than one standard drink, depending on the size of the glass and the type of alcohol.

It is important to understand what a standard drink is so that when you are drinking you can manage how much alcohol you consume.

When it comes to cancer risk, there is no safe level of drinking. Reduce your drinking to reduce your risk.

If you do drink, keeping track of standard drinks can help you stick to the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) guidelines:

Drink no more than 10 standard drinks in a week to reduce your risk of cancer and other serious diseases. Drink no more than four standard drinks on any one day to reduce your risk of injury.

Use this tool to see if you can correctly pour a standard drink.

References

What is a standard drink

Drinking levels and your risk

Current drinking level Drinking level goal

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Small Wine Glass

300ml

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10%

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Your Pour

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Standard drinks

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*This interactive is to be used as a guide only. Some variation may occur in alcohol content by brands/type.

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Calculate how your drinking adds up

See what your current drinking levels mean for your total consumption, hip pocket and kilojoule intake.

In four quick steps, find out if your current drinking levels are impacting your health and hip pocket. You will then be able to set new goals to help reduce your drinking, you will also see the money and kilojoules you'll save!

Reduce your risk

When it comes to cancer, there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. You can reduce your risk of cancer by reducing how much you drink.

1. Set your pour

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2. I am

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3. I often drink

4. The last time I drank I had

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Good work! You are drinking within the recommended guideline of no more than 2 standard drinks on any day to reduce the lifetime level risk* of alcohol-caused death.^

Remember any reduction in alcohol consumption benefits for your health and your back pocket!

Good work! You are drinking within the recommended guideline of no more than 2 standard drinks on any day to reduce the lifetime level risk* of alcohol-caused death.^

Remember any reduction in alcohol consumption benefits for your health and your back pocket!

Based on your current consumption levels, compared to others of the same gender who drank at the recommended guidelines of 2 standard drinks on any day, your lifetime level of risk* of alcohol-caused death^ is

times greater.

Annually your drinking is equal to:

Standard drinks consumed

Estimated dollars spent

Kilojoules from alcohol

More information

Alcohol and cancer

Any level of drinking increases cancer risk. We know that alcohol increases the risk of at least seven types of cancer including:

Pharynx (throat)
Mouth
Larynx (throat)
Oesophagus
Liver
Breast (female)
Bowel

Drinking alcohol may also increase the risk of stomach cancer.

More information on alcohol and cancer.

Alcohol and kJs

Alcoholic drinks contain a lot of kilojoules (also known as calories) and have no nutritional benefits.

It's the alcohol itself that contains most of the kilojoules, not the sugar or other carbs.

The average Australian has 2.7 standard drinks per day. That's about 2 cans of beer or 2 glasses of wine each day. Over a year, that can add up to a lot of extra kilojoules. A couple of wines a night, over the year, adds up to 335,800kJ. That's enough to feed an adult for a whole month (or the potential for 9kg of weight gain).

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Great job on deciding to reduce your drinking to reduce your risk

Great job on deciding to reduce your drinking to reduce your risk. Based on your new consumption levels, you are drinking within the recommended guideline of no more than 2 standard drinks on any day to reduce your risk* of alcohol-caused disease. However, remember when it comes to cancer there is no safe level. The best way to reduce your cancer risk is not to drink.

Based on your new consumption levels, compared to others of the same gender who drank at the recommended guidelines of 2 standard drinks on any day, your lifetime lefel of risk* of alcohol-caused death^ is now

times greater

Based on your current level of consumption you are drinking within the national alcohol guidelines.

Based on your current consumption levels your lifetime level of risk* of alcohol-caused death^ is times greater.

If you stuck to your drinking goals for 12 months you would be:

Drinking this many fewer standard drinks

Based on average price of a standard drink, saving up to

Reducing the number of kilojoules from alcohol content alone by

Oh no! Your risk has increased.

Oh no! Your risk is still
the same.

Based on your new consumption levels, you are drinking within the recommended guideline of no more than 2 standard drinks on any day to reduce the lifetime level risk* of alcohol-caused death.^

times greater

Based on your current level of consumption you are drinking within the national alcohol guidelines.

Based on your current consumption levels your lifetime level of risk* of alcohol-caused death^ is times greater.

This now means your level of consumption is equal to:

Standard drinks annually

Estimated dollars spent

Kilojoules from alcohol

Health related tips

Know your triggers. If you drink more alcohol when you are stressed or tired, try going for a walk or doing something else to distract you.
Try having an alcohol-free house.
Challenge yourself to alcohol-free days, say Sunday to Thursday.
Join in community events such as FebFast or Dry July to keep you motivated.
Count your ‘standard drinks’ – remember, a drink in a bar or restaurant is likely to contain more than one ‘standard drink’.
Try a low-alcohol (or no-alcohol) beer, wine or spirit.
Alternate between alcoholic drinks and non-alcoholic drinks like sparkling water or soda and lime.
Ensure that you schedule in a meal when drinking or eat before you go out. Dilute alcoholic drinks using ice or soda water.
Gain friends by nominating yourself as the designated driver. Just make sure you stay under .05.
Use water to quench your thirst and sip alcoholic drinks slowly.

Soda and fresh lime. Proof that simple is still the best.
Berries in iced water. This summery drink will keep you refreshed and revitalised.
Kombucha. The new kid on the block and definitely the ‘it’ drink at the moment. Just check the sugar content is no more than 5g/100ml.
Virgin bloody Mary. For those looking for a saltier taste, this reworked classic is a great option for those wanting to pack the vegies in.

DirectLine: 1800 888 236
Provides free, 24/7 telephone and online support staffed by professional counsellors, including clinical advice, referral options and support to help reduce drinking.
DrugInfo: 1300 85 85 84 / druginfo@adf.org.au
A free and confidential service where you can speak to a real person for real information about alcohol and other drugs, and get advice on how you can best support yourself or someone you’re concerned about.
The Victorian Government Department of Health and Human Services has a helpful list of alcohol support telephone and online services available across Victoria
Online communities, such as Hello Sunday Morning. Their app, Daybreak, is an online program that offers people the chance to share their experiences of cutting back or giving up on alcohol with each other.
Mental health support services, such as Beyond Blue, provide information and resources related to alcohol, drug use and mental health.

Standard Drink Tool

Do you know what a standard drink looks like?

More information

Calculate how your drinking adds up

Reduce your risk

Reduce your risk

More information

Great job on deciding to reduce your drinking to reduce your risk

Oh no! Your risk has increased.

Oh no! Your risk is still
the same.

Health related tips

Questions about cancer?

Standard Drink Tool

Do you know what a standard drink looks like?

More information

Calculate how your drinking adds up

Reduce your risk

Reduce your risk

More information

Great job on deciding to reduce your drinking to reduce your risk

Oh no! Your risk has increased.

Oh no! Your risk is stillthe same.

Health related tips

Email my results

Results Sent

Questions about cancer?

Oh no! Your risk is still
the same.