Government advice on alcohol drinking limits is based on studies carried out twenty-five years ago. It has often been expressed in terms of a maximum number of units per day. But advising people about a daily rate implies that drinking alcohol every day is acceptable, when up-to-date research suggests that the body needs more 'recovery time' than one day. Health promotion advice should avoid being so simple that it inadvertently encourages unhealthy behaviour. Better to have more complex messages than simple messages which promote unhealthy behaviour.