Drinking Less Matters

Key points

  • Excessive drinking can have negative effects on your body and your mind.
  • Drinking too much can increase your risk of injury, overdose, cancer, and other health conditions. It can also harm the people around you.
  • These effects can be prevented by drinking less.
  • Drink less for your health, your future, and for the safety and well-being of those around you.
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Drinking less can create positive changes for yourself and others

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Impact on your health, quality of life, and safety

Excessive alcohol use, either on an occasion or over time, can have negative effects on your health, quality of life, and safety.

Drinking less can:

  • Improve how you feel.
    • You may experience less hangovers and see improvements in your judgment, decision-making, and coordination.
  • Improve your relationships with family and friends.
  • Lower your risk of:
    • Injuries and overdoses.
    • Health conditions, such as cancer and heart and liver disease.
    • Mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety.
    • Memory problems, including dementia.
    • Learning problems.
  • Reduce issues at school or work.

Impact on the health, quality of life, and safety of others

Drinking excessively can harm your loved ones and others around you. That's because you may be more likely to make decisions or take risks that could negatively affect others.

Drinking less can:

  • Lead to less alcohol-impaired driving—which is one way to prevent people from getting injured or dying sooner.
    • It’s estimated that, on average, one alcohol-impaired-driving death occurred every 39 minutes in 2022.1
  • Lower your chance of being a part of violent situations.
  • Model healthier behaviors for people under 21 to help protect youth and let them reach their full potential.

Keep in mind‎

By drinking less, you can improve your health in the short and long term. Even a small change can make a big difference.

What you can do

Fortunately, the effects from drinking excessively are preventable. Most people who drink excessively can limit their drinking without medical assistance.

Drinking less is better for your health than drinking more.

Adults of legal drinking age can choose not to drink or to drink in moderation.

  • Moderate drinking means having 2 drinks or less in a day for men and 1 drink or less in a day for women.
  • Not drinking at all may be the best option for some people. This includes people who are:
    • Pregnant.
    • Taking certain drugs or medications.
    • Recovering from alcohol use disorder or who cannot control their drinking without medical assistance.

Keep in mind‎

Any time you drink, you can choose to drink less—for your health, your future, and for those around you.

Resources

Alcohol Use and Your Health
Alcohol impacts our health more than you might think. Here's how.
What You Can Do to Lower Your Risk of Alcohol-Related Harms
You can protect yourself and others from alcohol-related harms with these prevention tips.
Check Your Drinking. Make a Plan to Drink Less.
You can use this tool to check your drinking.
Drink Less, Be Your Best Logo.
Take a few minutes to check your drinking with this resource. You will get personalized feedback that can help you decide if you want to drink less.
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Content Source:
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP); About the Division of Population Health; CDC Alcohol Program
  1. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Alcohol-Impaired Driving Traffic Safety Facts 2022 Data (Report No DOT HS 813 578). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, National Center for Statistics and Analysis; August 2022. Available at: https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813578