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

Recent scientific evidence suggests that any purported health benefits from drinking alcohol have probably been over-estimated. In the past, low levels of alcohol consumption were thought to have a protective effect for coronary heart disease. Current evidence suggests that this may not be the case, or that the protective effect has at least been overestimated. The use of alcohol also increases the risk of developing other health conditions (e.g. cancer, stroke).