Most Australian adults will have at least an occasional drink and about half of us are regular drinkers.

But it's easy to underestimate the health impacts, and experts believe there is too much risky drinking.

What is alcohol?

The alcohol in drinks is called ethanol (also known as ethyl alcohol). It is made from sugars in grains, fruits and vegetables.

It can be produced in various strengths:

• 5 per cent (full-strength beer and cider)
• 12-14 per cent (wine)
• 18 per cent (fortified wines like port or sherry)
• 37-40 per cent (spirits like vodka, whisky and gin)

In recent years, the strength of both white and red wines has increased.

What is a standard drink?

A standard drink is one that contains 10 grams of alcohol.

The size will vary, depending on what you're drinking. Read more here.

Many people underestimate how many standard drinks they've had because typical servings are generally larger than standard drink size.

What does alcohol do to your body?

When you drink alcohol, it enters the bloodstream within minutes and almost 90 per cent is absorbed within an hour.

If you have food in your stomach this slows the rate of absorption down. It travels to every part of the body, especially the brain, liver and kidneys.

Because women's bodies are generally smaller than men's and contain less fluid, a given amount of alcohol produces a higher blood alcohol level in females. For similar reasons, adolescents and elderly people tend to have higher blood alcohol levels than young and middle-aged adults, after consuming a given amount of alcohol.

Once in the bloodstream, alcohol begins to be broken down by the liver at the rate of about one standard drink an hour. You can't speed this up by having coffee, cold showers or anything else.

A small amount of alcohol is eliminated though the breath, tears, saliva and perspiration.

The experience of intoxication can be affected by individual and cultural expectations, the context, and factors such as whether other drugs are used. So the way you feel when you are drunk may not match another person's experience.

Drinking large amounts of alcohol causes slowed mental function, loss of memory, poor judgement, dizziness, poor coordination, slurring of speech, blurred vision, vomiting, and eventually unconsciousness and even death.

Want to take a break from alcohol? Sign up for a Dry July. It helps you get healthy and clear your head while raising funds for people affected by cancer. Find out more...

Hangovers

A range of factors might contribute to hangovers, including:

• Dehydration. Alcohol is a diuretic, increasing urine output and depleting the body of fluid.
• Congeners. These chemical by-products of fermentation are thought to contribute to hangovers, at least in some people. Darker drinks generally have more congeners than lighter-coloured drinks. Thus, red wine, brandy and bourbon have more congeners than drinks such as gin and vodka.
• Acetaldehyde. This is a toxic by-product of alcohol metabolism. People's bodies vary in how efficiently they break this down into less-harmful products. This can influence how we feel after drinking and our experience of hangover.
• Sleep impairment. While alcohol might cause you to fall asleep quickly, you are less likely to get the most restful (REM) sleep. You might also be disturbed by frequent trips to the bathroom.

You can try to reduce your risk of getting a hangover by:

• Setting your consumption limits and sticking to them
• Making sure you don't drink on an empty stomach
• Ensuring you are hydrated before and during drinking
• Not using alcohol to slake your thirst

But remember, a hangover is your body's way of telling you you've drunk too much.