Responsible drinking means making informed choices about whether and how to drink alcohol, in ways that minimise risks and avoid harm to yourself and to others around you. It includes understanding how alcohol relates to your health, respecting local laws and age limits, staying within national guidance where it exists, and avoiding clearly harmful behaviours such as drink driving or providing alcohol to people under the legal purchase age.

There is no single global definition of “moderate drinking,” because recommended limits are set by each country’s health authorities and can differ between markets. Responsible Drinking APAC and IARD therefore advise adults to check and follow their own national drinking guidelines where these are available, and to remember that choosing to drink less—or not to drink at all—is always a way to reduce the health and social risks linked to alcohol.

A standard drink is a way of expressing a specific amount of pure alcohol so that different beverages, such as beer, wine, and spirits, can be compared more easily. Many governments define a standard drink in their national alcohol guidelines, and knowing what this means in your country helps you relate what you actually drink to those recommendations and better understand the difference between lower‑risk and more harmful patterns of consumption.

You can keep track of your drinking by using practical tools such as standard drink guides, self‑assessment resources, and simple drink counts that translate what you are consuming into approximate standard drinks. Paying attention both to how much you drink on single occasions and to how often you drink across a week makes it easier to notice when your habits may be moving away from more moderate patterns and decide whether to cut back, change your routines, or seek further personal advice from a health professional.

Yes. Responsible drinking guidance is set nationally, so legal purchase ages, drink‑driving limits, definitions of a standard drink, and low‑risk drinking recommendations can vary significantly between countries and territories across Asia Pacific. Responsible Drinking APAC highlights these differences and encourages adults to follow the laws and health advice for their own market, and to seek information from local authorities or trusted health sources if they are unsure about what applies where they live.

Responsible Drinking APAC is a regional initiative that brings together partners to provide science‑based information about alcohol, its relationship with health, and practical ways to drink moderately or choose not to drink. Its aim is to support more informed, responsible decisions about drinking and to help reduce harmful drinking across Asia Pacific by offering educational content, tools, and country‑specific resources that reflect local contexts and guidance.