Headlines recently blared warnings that “Biden’s alcohol czar” was “telling” Americans to limits their drinking to 2 drinks per week.

First of all, let’s get one thing straight: no one is going to limit your alcohol consumption for you in the United States. It was tried once: it’s called Prohibition, and it failed spectacularly.

What DOES exist are guidelines provided by governments around the world about suggested weekly and sometimes daily drinking limits to limit your health risks. These guidelines vary wildly by country: Ireland (perhaps to no one’s surprise) is on the higher end, with 17 drinks per week for men and 11 for women; Canada recently changed its guidelines to just 2 drinks per week, for both men and women.

Those low-risk drinking guidelines are what is up for review in the United States in 2025, and apparently, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism is considering moving from its current guidelines toward Canada’s much lower ones.

Here’s what it means for you:

Less is always better: The NIAAA is considering changing its guidelines because of a growing body of research says that no level of alcohol consumption is fully safe. However, even limiting your consumption to the old recommended guidelines (14 per week for men, 7 for women) can meaningfully reduce your long-temr health risks from drinking. What are those? Well…
There are serious long-term health risks from drinking: Regular long-term alcohol consumption can not only cause liver damage, but can meaningfully increase your risk of developing many types of cancer, as well as heart disease. If you’ve been drinking heavily for a long time, talk to your doctor about the health impacts. You may be surprised.

If you’re looking to cut back or quit drinking, we’d love to help. Drinker’s Helper is an app that provides motivational exercises, an insightful drink tracking system that helps you understand why you drink, and a personalized support group of your peers to help you make needed changes. We’ll help you stick to a weekly limit that reduces your health risks from drinking. Plus, it’s completely anonymous - even we don’t know who our users are, and we will never ask! Start your journey to long-term health today - get the app!