How many drinks a week is considered an alcoholic?

No weekly number makes someone "an alcoholic". Doctors don't diagnose drinking by count; they diagnose alcohol use disorder (AUD) from how drinking affects your life, using 11 signs. What a count does tell you is your risk: in the US, more than 14 drinks a week for men or more than 7 for women is above the low-risk limits, and 15 or more for men or 8 or more for women is heavy drinking. About 1 in 4 people who drink over the low-risk limits has AUD; most heavy drinkers don't, but they're the ones most likely to develop it.

This guide puts every official number in one table, shows how to count your own week in standard drinks, and explains what each level means and what to do about it.

The official US numbers, in one table

All counts are US standard drinks: 14 grams of pure alcohol, which is 12 oz of 5% beer, 5 oz of 12% wine or 1.5 oz of 40% spirits.

Two things change the picture. First, the US Surgeon General's 2025 advisory and the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines both say that less is better for health, at any level. Second, a weekly average hides heavy days: 14 drinks spread as 2 a night is a different risk from 14 on Friday and Saturday.

So why isn't there a number for "alcoholic"?

"Alcoholic" isn't a medical term any more. Since 2013 the US diagnostic manual (DSM-5) uses one diagnosis, alcohol use disorder, graded mild, moderate or severe. It replaced the old "alcohol abuse" and "alcohol dependence", and it's about what drinking does, not how much:

• Two people can drink 20 drinks a week; one has lost control and the other hasn't (yet).
• Someone drinking 10 a week can meet several signs if they drink when it's dangerous, or can't stop once they start.
• Tolerance differs by body size, sex, age, medicines and genes.

The count still matters: the more you drink, the more likely the signs. But the label comes from the signs.

The 11 signs doctors use

In the past 12 months, have you:

1. Ended up drinking more, or for longer, than you meant to?
2. Wanted to cut down or stop more than once, or tried, and couldn't?
3. Spent a lot of time drinking, or being sick or getting over it afterward?
4. Wanted a drink so badly you couldn't think of anything else (craving)?
5. Found that drinking, or being sick from it, got in the way of home, family, work or school?
6. Kept drinking even though it caused trouble with family or friends?
7. Given up or cut back on things you enjoyed or cared about, in order to drink?
8. More than once got into situations while or after drinking that raised your chances of getting hurt (driving, swimming, unsafe sex)?
9. Kept drinking even though it made you feel depressed or anxious, added to another health problem, or after a memory blackout?
10. Had to drink much more than you once did to get the effect you want (tolerance)?
11. Found that when the alcohol was wearing off you had withdrawal: trouble sleeping, shakiness, restlessness, nausea, sweating, a racing heart, or sensing things that weren't there?

This list is from NIAAA's version of the DSM-5 criteria. It's a way to understand your answers, not a diagnosis. If you said yes to 2 or more, talk to a doctor; the earlier, the easier.

How likely is AUD at each drinking level?

• Within the low-risk limits: NIAAA research found only about 2 in 100 people who drink within these limits have AUD.
• Over the limits: NIAAA's Rethinking Drinking says that among the roughly 3 in 10 US adults who drink above the low-risk limits, about 1 in 4 has AUD, and the rest are at greater risk of it and of other health problems.
• Heavy drinkers in general: a CDC study of US adults (Esser and colleagues, 2014) found that about 9 in 10 people who drank excessively did not meet the criteria for alcohol dependence.

Put plainly: drinking over the limits doesn't mean you're an alcoholic, but it's the zone where the odds rise, and the zone where cutting back is easiest to do on your own, before the signs pile up. National surveys counted about 28.9 million Americans aged 12 and older with AUD in 2023 (SAMHSA, NSDUH).

Count your own week

Most people undercount because their drinks are bigger than a standard drink. Here's how to count a real week:

1. Write down every drink from the last 7 days, with its size and strength.
2. For each, work out standard drinks: ounces × alcohol (as a decimal, so 13.5% is 0.135) ÷ 0.6. Or use our standard drink size chart.
3. Add the week, and note your biggest single day.

This person would say "a glass of wine a night and a few at the weekend". It's about 15 standard drinks: heavy drinking for a man by the CDC's line, double the limit for a woman, and the Saturday counts as a heavy day for a woman. A bottle of wine is about 5 to 6 standard drinks; see standard drinks in a bottle of wine.

How many drinks a week for women?

For women the numbers are lower: the low-risk limits were no more than 3 on any day and 7 a week, and 8 or more a week is heavy drinking. That's not about willpower. On average women weigh less and have less water in their bodies, so the same drink gives a higher blood alcohol. Alcohol-related harms, including liver disease and breast cancer risk, rise at lower levels for women. NIAAA notes that alcohol problems have been rising faster among women in recent years.

A woman drinking a large glass of wine every night is often at 12 to 14 standard drinks a week, which is heavy drinking by the CDC definition, even with no other signs at all. Our guide is drinking wine every night a problem? looks at exactly that pattern.

Signs that matter more than the number

• You plan your day around when you can drink.
• You drink before going out, so you don't run short.
• You hide how much you drink, or feel defensive when it comes up.
• You need a drink to sleep, relax or face something.
• Skipping a night feels hard, or you feel unwell the next day without one.
• Other people have said they're worried.

Any of these is worth paying attention to whatever your weekly count. Our guide am I drinking too much alcohol? includes the 3-question AUDIT-C screen doctors use.

What to do at each level

A 4-week way to cut back if you're over the limits

1. Week 1: count. Log every drink in standard drinks, and the time and place of the first one each day.
2. Week 2: set the number. Aim about a quarter below week 1. Pick 2 dry days.
3. Week 3: change the cue. At the moment your first drink usually starts (home from work, cooking, the kids asleep), do something else for 20 minutes first: a walk, a shower, an alcohol-free drink you like.
4. Week 4: check. Compare with week 1. If you couldn't cut at all, that's useful information to bring to a doctor.

Our free 2-minute drinking pattern quiz finds the cue behind most of your drinks, which is where week 3 starts.

Who should not cut back alone

If you drink heavily every day and get shaky, sweaty, sick, anxious or can't sleep when you skip, stopping or cutting down fast can bring dangerous withdrawal, including seizures. A doctor can help you do it safely. The free, confidential SAMHSA National Helpline (1-800-662-4357) is open every day and can point you to local help. NIAAA's Alcohol Treatment Navigator lists options by type and place.

Questions people ask

Is 20 drinks a week an alcoholic?

Not by count alone, but 20 a week is heavy drinking for anyone, and the zone where AUD is common. Check the 11 signs and see a doctor if 2 or more apply.

Is drinking every day a sign of alcoholism?

Not on its own. One small drink a day is within the old limits. What matters is how much, whether you can skip days easily, and the signs above.

Can you be a functional alcoholic?

Yes. People with AUD often keep jobs and families going. Holding life together isn't proof there's no problem; the signs are.

Does binge drinking on weekends count?

Yes. 5 or more drinks in about 2 hours for a man, or 4 or more for a woman, is binge drinking even if the week's total is low, and it carries its own risks.

How many drinks a week is safe?

There's no amount with no risk. Fewer is better; for limits and what most adults drink, see how many drinks a week is normal.

More on counting and limits: all our drink less guides.

Sources: NIAAA, "Drinking Levels Defined" and "Understanding Alcohol Use Disorder" (DSM-5 criteria). NIAAA, Rethinking Drinking. NIH news release on Rethinking Drinking, 2014 ("about 2 in 100"). CDC, "About Moderate Alcohol Use" and excessive drinking definitions. Esser MB, Hedden SL, Kanny D, Brewer RD, Gfroerer JC, Naimi TS, "Prevalence of Alcohol Dependence Among US Adult Drinkers, 2009–2011", Preventing Chronic Disease, 2014. SAMHSA, 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. American Psychiatric Association, DSM-5. US Surgeon General, "Alcohol and Cancer Risk" advisory, January 2025. Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025–2030. SAMHSA National Helpline, 1-800-662-4357.