low-risk drinking

Low-risk drinking guidelines

A number of countries, including New Zealand, have developed advice or guidelines for Low-risk drinking.

In New Zealand, the recommendations are (click the image to go to the Health Promotion Agency website):

Guidelines for children under 18 years of age

For children and young people under 18 years of age not drinking alcohol is the safest option.

Parents and carers should be advised that children under 15 years of age are at the greatest risk of harm from drinking. For this age group, not drinking alcohol is especially important.

For young people aged 15−17 years, the safest option is to delay the initiation of drinking for as long as possible.

Guidelines for pregnant or breastfeeding women

For women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, not drinking is the safest option.

For women who are breastfeeding, not drinking is the safest option.

Supporting New Zealand drinkers to drink within the low-risk drinking guidelines

Whilst it is important that each person looks at their own drinking, and supports others to do the same, we also need our environment to support low-risk drinking.

This means we need:

• fewer alcohol outlets
• later opening and earlier closing hours  of alcohol outlets (off-licence and on-licences)
• increased price
• increased minimum legal purchase age of alcohol (to 20 years)
• restrictions on alcohol advertising and sponsorship.