How Much Alcohol Is Safe to Drink?

Many adults enjoy drinking a few alcoholic beverages, but how can you tell if your alcohol consumption is unsafe? If you're questioning whether your drinking habits are cause for concern, you should know that the threshold for harmful drinking is much lower than you might imagine.

Millions of people drink beer, wine, and spirits without developing a drinking habit that causes problems. However, your alcohol consumption could still put your health and well-being in jeopardy even if you don't develop an alcohol use disorder.

How much alcohol can you drink at a safe level and still be considered a low-risk drinker? How much alcohol consumption would place you in the high-risk group?

Here's what you need to know about the guidelines for alcohol consumption if you are trying to assess your risk.

Men: 4 or Fewer Drinks Per Day

For men, low-risk alcohol consumption is considered drinking four or fewer standard drinks on any single day and less than 14 drinks during a given week. According to the NIAAA, both the daily and weekly guidelines must be met for a person to remain low risk.

In other words, if you are a man who only drinks four standard drinks per day, but you drink four every day, you are drinking 28 drinks per week—which is twice the recommended level for low-risk alcohol consumption.

Drinking four drinks per day four times a week would also exceed the guidelines.

Women: 3 or Fewer Drinks Per Day

Research has shown that women develop alcohol use disorders at lower levels of consumption compared to men. Therefore, the guidelines for low-risk drinking are lower for women. The NIAAA guideline for low-risk consumption for women is three or fewer standard drinks a day and no more than seven drinks per week.

Again, both the daily and weekly standards must be met to remain in the low-risk category. If you're a woman who only has two drinks a day but you have two drinks every day, that's 14 drinks per week—twice the recommended amount for low-risk consumption.

Heart Health and Longevity

When considering the NIAAA's consumption guidelines, it's important to note that "low risk" doesn't mean "healthy." In fact, the low-risk category of drinking may not be the best level for heart health. One international study that looked specifically at the risk of cardiovascular disease found that consuming an even lower amount of alcohol may help you live longer.

The study involved nearly 600,000 adults from all over the world who did not have a history of cardiovascular disease. The participants drank between 0 and 350 grams of alcohol each week (to put this figure in perspective, the recommendation for men in the U.S. is equivalent to 196 grams—about six glasses of wine).

The study found that drinking 100 grams or less of alcohol per week had the lowest risk for mortality.

'Low Risk' Does Not Mean 'No Risk'

There are some situations in which no level of drinking can be considered low risk. Depending on your age, health, and other circumstances, you may need to drink even less—or not drink at all.

A Personalized Approach

The NIAAA guidelines are for the "average" person. Thresholds vary greatly, and there are many factors involved. It's best to take a personalized approach to find a safe level of drinking for you.

Harvard Men's Health Watch suggests that you speak to your doctor to determine how much alcohol is safe for you to consume. Your doctor can take your entire medical history into account to make an accurate recommendation.

The amount of alcohol you consume might need to decrease as you age or if you need to keep certain health conditions, like your blood pressure, under control. It's important to keep in mind that what is considered safe and healthy for you might not be the same as it is for someone else.

A Word From Verywell

It's a good idea to gauge your current drinking level and assess whether you are regularly exceeding the guidelines for low-risk drinking. You might consider cutting down your alcohol consumption or quitting entirely. If you feel like your relationship with alcohol is interfering with your overall health and well-being, don't hesitate to seek help.