Yes, 40 drinks a week is considered very high and significantly exceeds recommended guidelines, posing serious health risks, as Australian guidelines suggest no more than 10 standard drinks weekly for lower risk, with 40 drinks increasing chances of alcohol-related harm, liver damage, and potential alcohol use disorder.
Patterns of heavy drinking can put a person at a higher risk of developing alcohol use disorder (AUD) or experiencing other harms that have an association with drinking excess amounts of alcohol. The CDC defines heavy drinking as 8 or more drinks per week for females and 15 or more drinks per week for males.
Heavy drinking includes binge drinking and has been defined for women as 4 or more drinks on any day or 8 or more per week, and for men as 5 or more drinks on any day or 15 or more per week.
In a 12-year longitudinal study of more than 13,000 individuals in Denmark, a steep dose-dependent increase in relative risk of liver disease was found above a threshold of 14–27 drinks per week in men and 7–13 drinks per week in women (9).
Risks of heavy alcohol use
The definition of heavy drinking is based on a person's sex. For women, more than three drinks on any day or more than seven drinks a week is heavy drinking. For men, heavy drinking means more than four drinks on any day or more than 14 drinks a week.
What can I do about drinking too much? Try to cut down to safe drinking levels: less than seven drinks per week and less than three drinks per occasion for women and older people, and less than 14 drinks per week and less than four drinks per occasion for men.
Russia and Australia have the highest prevalence of alcohol dependence overall, with 2.61 per cent and 2.58 per cent, respectively. According to the WHO, US has the lowest rate of alcohol dependence with only 1.92 per cent.
If you do experience early symptoms of ARLD, these are often quite vague, such as:
If you are in the early stages of liver damage—stage 1 (fatty liver) or stage 2 (early alcoholic hepatitis) —it can be reversed by quitting alcohol. The liver is the only organ that can self-heal itself.
Alcoholic Cirrhosis
The most severe form of ARLD is cirrhosis, characterized by widespread scarring (fibrosis) that distorts the liver's structure and impairs its function. Timeline to Development: Cirrhosis typically develops after 10-20 years of heavy drinking, according to the American Liver Foundation.
The "3-2-1" (or often "1-2-3") drinking rule is a guideline for moderate alcohol consumption: 1 drink per hour, no more than 2 drinks per occasion, and at least 3 alcohol-free days per week, helping to pace intake and reduce risks. It aligns with official health advice, emphasizing that the body processes only about one standard drink (e.g., 12oz beer, 5oz wine) per hour, and provides a framework for mindful drinking to avoid binge patterns and health issues, though it's a simplification of broader guidelines.
The "healthiest" alcohol options focus on low sugar, fewer additives, and potential antioxidants, with red wine often topping lists for its polyphenols (like resveratrol), though moderation is key. Other good choices include clear spirits (vodka, gin, tequila) mixed with water or soda water (not tonic) to keep sugar and calories low, and drinks with vegetable bases like a Bloody Mary, or lower-sugar options like hard seltzers, light beers, or dry wines.
Organs known to be damaged by long-term alcohol misuse include the brain and nervous system, heart, liver and pancreas. Heavy drinking can also increase your blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels, both of which are major risk factors for heart attacks and strokes.
The major causes of alcohol-related death are alcohol poisoning, cancer, car accidents, heart failure, liver damage, and violence.
Andre the Giant, the legendary professional wrestler, is widely reported to have drunk 106 beers in one night at the Downtowner in Charlotte, North Carolina, around 1975, a feat recounted by fellow wrestler Ric Flair and others, though some accounts claim even higher numbers like 117 or 156 beers in a single sitting.
This confirms nitrosamine-like exposure in cases of oesophageal cancer and could explain why beer and spirits cause more cases of upper digestive tract malignancy than wine.
Four key warning signs of a damaged liver include jaundice (yellow skin/eyes), abdominal issues (swelling, pain), fatigue/weakness, and changes in urine/stool color, alongside symptoms like itchy skin, easy bruising, confusion, or nausea, indicating the liver isn't filtering toxins or clotting blood properly.
The first signs of kidney damage from alcohol include fatigue, swelling (hands/feet/face), changes in urination (more/less frequent, foamy, bloody), persistent nausea/vomiting, loss of appetite, metallic taste, itchy skin, and dull lower back pain, as the kidneys struggle to filter waste and regulate fluids, leading to toxin buildup and fluid imbalances.
A 2021 review of research notes that several studies determined that two to four weeks of abstinence from alcohol by heavy-alcohol users helped reduce inflammation and bring down elevated serum levels in the liver. In short: A few weeks off will help. But the longer you can abstain from alcohol, the better.
Myth 3: Drinking hard liquor is worse than drinking beer or wine. Contrary to popular belief, the type of alcohol you drink doesn't make a difference – what matters is how much you drink. "The safe limit is fixed at 14 units a week," explains Dr Lui. "Below this limit, alcoholic fatty liver is less likely to occur.
To cleanse your liver, focus on a healthy lifestyle: drink plenty of water, eat antioxidant-rich foods like leafy greens, berries, and cruciferous vegetables, limit processed foods, sugar, and alcohol, and get regular exercise, as your liver naturally detoxes with these supportive habits, while avoiding unproven supplements that can be harmful.
A liver function test can measure the levels of liver enzymes in your blood. High levels of liver enzymes can indicate liver damage or disease. If your liver enzymes are within normal range, it's a sign that your liver is healthy.
The 1-2-3 drinking rule is a guideline for moderation: 1 drink per hour, no more than 2 drinks per occasion, and at least 3 alcohol-free days each week, helping to pace consumption and stay within safer limits. It emphasizes pacing alcohol intake with water and food, knowing standard drink sizes (12oz beer, 5oz wine, 1.5oz spirits), and avoiding daily drinking to reduce health risks, though some health guidance suggests even lower limits.
List Of Countries That Drink The Most Alcohol
Some of the most common alcohol-related harms include: