How many drinks a week is too many?

The short answer

From a pure health point of view, the World Health Organization’s position is that no level of drinking is completely safe: risks such as several cancers begin at low levels and rise with every drink. In early 2025 the US Surgeon General also published an advisory on the link between alcohol and cancer.

In practice, most national guidelines draw a “low-risk” line somewhere around 100–200 grams of alcohol a week — roughly 7 to 14 US-size drinks — and Canada’s 2023 guidance goes much lower. Above those lines the risk climbs faster. Below them it is lower, but not zero.

What different countries recommend

Each country uses a different drink size, so the table converts everything into grams of pure alcohol per week to make the numbers comparable.

The newest US Dietary Guidelines (2025–2030) no longer give a daily number at all and simply advise Americans to drink less. The NIAAA levels above are still the clearest US benchmark.

Notice the pattern: the newer the guideline, the lower the number. As research on cancer and long-term health has grown, guidelines have moved down, not up.

Per day matters as much as per week

Ten drinks spread over a week and ten drinks on a Saturday night are not the same. The NIAAA defines binge drinking as a pattern that brings blood alcohol to 0.08% — typically about 5 or more drinks for men or 4 or more for women within around two hours. That is why most guidelines add a daily cap and why the UK guidance says to spread drinking over three or more days rather than “saving up” for the weekend.

How to find your real weekly number

Most people underestimate. Memory smooths over the extra glass, the drink while cooking and the second bottle that someone else opened. The most reliable way to know is to write it down:

1. For two to four weeks, log every day — including the days you don’t drink.
2. Count drinks consistently (see what counts as a standard drink).
3. At the end of each week, add up the total, count the alcohol-free days and note the heaviest day.

Don’t change anything during the first week or two. The point is to see your honest baseline, not a “good behaviour” week.

Practical targets if you want to cut back

• Add alcohol-free days first. Moving from one dry day a week to three or four is often easier than cutting the amount on drinking days, and it lowers the weekly total automatically. See why alcohol-free days matter.
• Set a daily ceiling. Decide your maximum before you start, not halfway through the evening.
• Pick a weekly number and see it. A target you can see on a calendar is easier to keep than one you hold in your head.
• Try a reset month. A full month off — like Dry January — gives you a clear look at sleep, mood and habits without alcohol.

When the number is not the main question

Guidelines are about health risk, not about whether drinking is causing problems in your life. If you often drink more than you meant to, can’t cut down when you try, feel you need alcohol to cope, or people close to you are worried, those are signs worth taking seriously at any number. A doctor or one of the services on our help page can help you work out what is going on.

If you drink heavily every day, do not stop suddenly without medical advice: alcohol withdrawal can be dangerous.

Frequently asked questions

How many drinks a week is considered heavy drinking?

In the US, NIAAA treats more than 14 drinks a week (or more than 4 on any day) for men, and more than 7 a week (or more than 3 on any day) for women, as above low-risk levels.

Is drinking every day bad if it is only one drink?

Daily drinking makes the habit harder to change and adds up over the week. Most guidelines recommend several alcohol-free days each week, even at low amounts.

Is 14 units a week safe?

The UK Chief Medical Officers describe 14 units a week, spread over three or more days, as a low-risk level, not a safe one. Risk is lower below it but not zero.

What counts as binge drinking?

Roughly 5 or more drinks for men or 4 or more for women in about two hours, enough to raise blood alcohol to 0.08%.