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Is there a safe amount of alcohol? How to lower your risk

No amount of alcohol is completely risk-free. Learn how the amount, frequency and context of drinking affect your health, and what you can do to protect yourself and others.

4 min read Source: WHO fact sheet

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In short

  1. WHO states that no amount of alcohol is completely free of health risks.
  2. Your risk depends on how much, how often and in what situation you drink.
  3. Adopting lower-risk drinking patterns can reduce your chance of negative health consequences.

You might pour a drink to relax after work or share one at a family gathering. But many people wonder if a small amount is truly harmless. The World Health Organization (WHO) is clear: there is no form of alcohol consumption that is risk-free.

Alcoholic beverages contain ethanol, a psychoactive and toxic substance that can cause dependence. Even low levels of drinking carry some health risks, though most serious harms come from heavy or frequent drinking. The good news is that you can take individual actions to protect yourself.

What makes drinking more risky?

The level of risk depends on several factors in your daily life:

  • the total amount you consume
  • how often you drink
  • your age, sex and overall health
  • the situation where you are drinking

Most alcohol-related harms come from heavy episodic drinking or heavy continuous drinking. Heavy episodic drinking means consuming a large amount in a single session. Context matters too, because intoxication increases the chance of injuries like falls or road crashes.

How does alcohol affect my body over time?

Drinking plays a causal role in more than 200 diseases, injuries and other health conditions. It is linked to liver diseases, heart diseases and several types of cancer, including breast, liver and colorectal cancers. It also increases the risk of mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety.

In 2019, alcohol caused around 2.6 million deaths worldwide. Younger adults are especially affected, with 13% of all alcohol-attributable deaths occurring among people aged 20 to 39 years.

What can I do to lower my risk?

People who adopt lower-risk patterns of drinking may not face a significantly increased likelihood of negative health consequences. This means paying attention to how much and how often you drink.

Remember that alcohol harms others too. In 2019, out of 298 000 deaths from alcohol-related road crashes, 156 000 were caused by someone else's drinking. Avoiding alcohol before driving or during pregnancy protects both you and the people around you.

If you feel you cannot control your drinking, talk to a doctor. Globally, access to treatment remains very low, but professional support is available.

What you can do now

  • Track how much and how often you drink each week to understand your personal pattern.
  • Avoid drinking alcohol before driving, operating machinery or caring for children.
  • Do not drink any alcohol if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant.
  • Talk to a doctor if you find it difficult to control your drinking or want help reducing your intake.

Questions you may have

Is drinking a little bit of alcohol safe?

According to WHO, there is no form of alcohol consumption that is risk-free. Even low levels carry some risks, although most severe harms come from heavy drinking.

Why does the situation where I drink matter?

Context plays an important role in alcohol-related harm, especially when intoxication leads to injuries like road traffic accidents, falls or violence against others.

Does alcohol affect men and women differently?

Yes. In 2019, alcohol use was responsible for 6.7% of all deaths among men and 2.4% of all deaths among women, showing clear gender differences in mortality.

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