How we are supporting people to make positive choices about alcohol that are right for them

Over the past few years, we know through our social listening that the conversation around drinking has changed. People are no longer just looking for broad advice about alcohol and health. They are asking more personal, practical questions: how drinking fits into their own lifestyles, their wellbeing, and the choices they make day to day.

Constance Balsamo

Global Positive Drinking Director

Why DRINKiQ has evolved

When we launched DRINKiQ in 2008, it was designed as an online resource - a single place for evidence-based guidance grounded in public health principles and explained in everyday language. This is still very much at the heart of what we do.

But as attitudes and the way people access information have shifted, so have expectations. People are looking for more specific, personal guidance to help them decide whether and how to drink, and it became clear that DRINKiQ needed to evolve with them. Today, DRINKiQ is available in 57 countries, across 80 sites and in 26 languages. It’s designed to make responsible drinking guidance more accessible, relevant and impactful, shaped by real behaviours and emerging priorities.

Making guidance more practical and easier to use

As an example, we have seen a similar pattern in questions around tracking alcohol intake. In the UK, one of the most common searches remains: “What does 14 units mean?” The figure comes from the UK Chief Medical Officers’ drinking guideline, which advises men and women to keep their weekly consumption within 14 units. Yet while the number is widely cited, translating it into real drinks isn’t always straightforward.

That insight led us to introduce a new Drinks Calculator, designed to make units easier to understand in the context of what people are actually drinking. It also allows people to track units in real time - from cocktails to beer or wine - helping them understand and moderate their alcohol. Following its launch in the UK and US, we are now expanding into additional markets.

As people look for more practical guidance, we’ve continued to evolve how we support them. We’ve redesigned our DRINKiQ quiz to better understand how attitudes and behaviours are changing and made our drink driving guidance easier to access through the site.

Showing up in the moments that matter

We’re also starting to introduce the quiz in more moments where people are making decisions about drinking or not drinking alcohol. For example, it will feature on the new Guinness Storehouse app and homepage in Ireland.

Our travel quiz has been updated to reflect real questions people ask when flying. It covers questions like how alcohol affects you in the air, and how airlines respond to intoxicated passengers – helping people make more informed choices and avoid disruption.

Each of these changes is practical, but together they represent a broader shift – from simply providing information to helping people apply it in real-life contexts.

Alongside health and moderation, safety has become a more prominent concern. People are increasingly seeking practical guidance, so we have expanded DRINKiQ to include clear information on recognising counterfeit alcohol and staying safe while travelling. Our aim is to make sure that evidence-based guidance is available in areas where concerns are growing.

Whether planning a night out, travelling, or simply wanting to better understand your own drinking habits, DRINKiQ is designed to provide clear, accessible support in everyday situations. This is a key part of how we support more positive choices around alcohol and encourage responsible drinking in society.
Explore DRINKiQ for tools, tips and guidance, take the quiz to learn more about your drinking habits or try the Drinks Calculator. These tools can help you plan ahead and make choices that feel right for you.

You can also explore our wider work on responsible drinking, and how it connects to our broader sustainability commitments.