In Australia, a standard drink refers to 10 grams of alcohol (equivalent to 12.5ml of pure alcohol). On average, this is how much the human body can process in one hour.
But even with this as a guide, it can be hard to keep track of how much you’ve had, as different drinks come in different strengths and serving sizes, and can therefore contain more than one standard drink. You also need to consider ‘human’ factors such as your age, weight, gender, mood and tiredness – which can all determine how your body processes alcohol.
One alcoholic beverage doesn’t always equal one standard drink.
The DrinkWise Standard Drinks Calculator has been designed to give you a quick and simple way to understand what a standard drink is and how many are in your favourite beverage. It’s for educational purposes only, and should not be relied upon to predict blood alcohol level or any other measure.
It is important to familiarise yourself with the facts about alcohol, including binge drinking and drink driving. Enjoy alcohol in moderation to reduce the short and long term side effects of drinking.
What does a standard drink look like?
In Australia, all bottles, casks and cans of alcoholic beverages must note the number of standard drinks they contain on the label.
As a guide:
375ml can low-strength beer (2.7% alcohol) = 0.8 standard drinks
375ml can mid-strength beer (3.5% alcohol) = 1 standard drink
375ml can full-strength beer (4.8% alcohol) = 1.4 standard drinks
100ml red wine (13.5% alcohol) = 1 standard drink
150ml red wine (13.5% alcohol) = 1.6 standard drinks (average restaurant serving)
100ml white wine (11.5% alcohol) = 0.9 standard drinks
150ml white wine (11.5% alcohol) = 1.4 standard drinks (average restaurant serving)
30ml spirits (40% alcohol) = 1 standard drink
275ml pre-mix spirits (approx. 5% alcohol) = 1.1 standard drinks
330ml pre-mix spirits (approx. 5% alcohol) = 1.2 standard drinks
This information is taken from www.alcohol.gov.au. The PDF below can be downloaded and printed.
An informative guide to the Australian guidelines to reduce health risks from alcohol can be found at National Health and Medical Research Council’s Australian Alcohol Guidelines. (Please note, the NHMRC is currently undertaking a review of the guidelines. We will provide an update here once the review is complete.)
DWA0362_Standard Drinks_Poster_A3 (updated Jan 2020)
