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Alcoholic drinks contain a lot of kilojoules and have no nutritional benefit.

It's the alcohol itself that contains most of the kilojoules (aka calories), not the sugar or other carbs, despite what the alcohol industry advertises! Drinking alcohol can, over time, lead to weight gain. Cutting down or cutting out alcohol will help you avoid weight gain and improve your wellbeing.

Eating less or exercising more to compensate for the extra kilojoules in alcoholic drinks can put your mental and physical health  at risk. To reduce your kilojoule intake, cut down on the amount of alcohol you drink rather than trying to offset the kilojoule load in other ways.

How many kilojoules are you drinking?
1 can of full-strength beer = a soft serve cone
1 x 375mL can of full-strength beer (580kJ)
= 1 soft serve cone
2 bottles of cider = a cheeseburger
2 x 330mL bottles of cider (1260kJ)
= 1 cheeseburger
1 can of pre-mixed spirits = a chocolate bar
1 x 375mL can of pre-mixed spirits (990kJ)
= 1 chocolate bar
2 glasses of champagne = a slice of pizza
2 x 150mL glasses of champagne (920kJ)
= 1 slice of pizza
1 can of light beer = 2 nuggets
1 x 375mL can of low-strength beer (400kJ) 
= 2 chicken nuggets
1 glass of wine = a dim sim
1 x 150mL glass of wine (460kJ)
= 1 dim sim
2 cans of full-strength beer = a piece of fried chicken
2 x 375mL cans of full-strength beer (1160kJ)
= 1 piece of fried chicken
1 pint of full-strength beer = 1 slice of pizza
1 pint of full-strength beer (880kJ)
= 1 slice of pizza
3 cans of pre-mixed spirits = 2  sausage roll
3 x 375mL cans of pre-mixed spirits (2970kJ)
= 2 sausage rolls
3 pints of cider = 1 kebab
3 x pints of cider (3260kJ)
= 1 kebab
a bottle of wine = a loaf of garlic bread
1 x 750mL bottle of wine (2300kJ)
= 1 loaf of garlic bread

Tips to cut back

Drink recipes 


Benefits of drinking less

  • You’ll sleep better, feel more alert and have more energy
  • Better sleep means you'll feel more motivated to get out and exercise
  • You won't be tempted to reach for a junk food 'hangover cure' (they don’t work!) the next day
  • You’ll save cash – the average Aussie spends an alarming $1700 on alcohol each year
  • You'll make better food choices - we all know the temptation of a dripping kebab or cheesy pizza after a night out
  • You’ll improve your mood
  • You’ll reduce your risk of long term health issues including certain cancers, liver disease, heart disease and stroke

Wake up feeling refreshed

Alcohol increases your risk of seven types of cancer including breast, liver, bowel and mouth

Find out more

Useful links