Is there a safe limit for consumption of alcohol?

To understand and curb the harms related to alcohol, it is necessary to think beyond patterns of use that meet the criteria for a diagnosis of alcohol use disorder, or addiction.
Writing in the Journal of Hepatology, the researchers say that current research suggests that regular daily alcohol use does not confer a health benefit, and for many persons, even relatively low consumption is associated with a health risk. Determining a safe limit for alcohol consumption is challenging both for the individual and for society.
The authors conclude that excessive drinking is always risky. They provide a list of circumstances, such as chronic illness, driving a vehicle, or pregnancy where persons should be advised to abstain from alcohol. They recognise the need to encourage less consumption of alcohol, particularly in young adults, and in older adults with co-morbid conditions particularly when taking multiple medications. Finally, they offer the modest proposal that, for persons without the contributing negative influences described above, consumption that adheres to one drink per session, with interspersed abstinent days, does not constitute a meaningful health risk.
Source: Musto, J.A., Brown, R., Lucey, M.R. (2024) Is there a safe limit for consumption of alcohol? J Hepatol, ISSN 0168-8278.