Are there any health benefits from drinking alcohol?

Recent scientific evidence suggests that any purported health benefits from drinking alcohol have probably been over-estimated. There is some evidence that alcohol has a protective effect for coronary health disease. However, there are safer ways to reduce a person’s risk of coronary heart disease (maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking, reducing blood pressure) and the use of alcohol can still increase their risk of developing other health conditions (cancer, stroke).

Current Australian alcohol guidelines do not recommend drinking for health benefits (see FAQ: What are Australia's alcohol consumption guidelines?).

Source: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) (2019). Australian guidelines to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol.

Standard Drink: A drink that contains 10 grams (or 12.5 millilitres) of alcohol.