Limit your health risks from alcohol

If you choose to drink alcohol, limiting how much and how often you drink reduces your risk of:

• injury; and
• developing long-term serious health conditions.

Following Canada’s Low-Risk Drinking Guidelines (LRDG) can help you reduce these health risks.

Guidance on alcohol consumption 

• 0 drinks per week — Not drinking has benefits, such as better health, and better sleep.
• 2 standard drinks or less per week — You are likely to avoid alcohol-related consequences for yourself or others at this level.
• 3–6 standard drinks per week — Your risk of developing several types of cancer, including breast and colon cancer, increases at this level.
• 7 standard drinks or more per week — Your risk of heart disease or stroke increases significantly at this level.

When you should not drink alcohol

Do not drink alcohol when you're:

• responsible for the safety of others;
• driving a vehicle or using machinery and tools;
• pregnant or planning to become pregnant, or about to breastfeed;
• taking medicine or other drugs that interact with alcohol; or
• living with mental or physical health problems.

Measuring each standard drink

In Canada, a standard drink of alcohol is a fixed way to measure each drink that equals 17.05 millilitres or 13.45 grams of “pure” alcohol for every type of alcohol beverage, whether it's wine, beer or spirits.

Standard drink examples

Drink type	Size	Alcohol percentage
Beer	341 millilitres or 12 ounces	5% alcohol
Cider	341 millilitres or 12 ounces	5% alcohol
Wine	142 millilitres or 5 ounces	12% alcohol
Spirits (such as rum, gin, rye)	43 millilitres or 1.5 ounces	40% alcohol

Paying attention to the strength or percentage of alcohol in each beverage will help you do the math on how much alcohol you consume on a daily, weekly or regular basis.

Counting your drinks will help you decide when it's best to slow down, take a break or stop drinking altogether.

Safer drinking tips

• Set limits for yourself and stick to them.
• Have 1 non-alcoholic drink for every alcoholic drink.
• Eat before and while you drink.
• Consider your age, body weight and health problems that might suggest lower limits.
• Do not start to drink or increase your drinking for health benefits.