Canada’s chief public health officer has released a report on alcohol consumption and it suggests that 80 per cent of Canadians drink.
According to Dr. Gregory Taylor, many Canadians associate drinking with pleasurable social events such as music festivals, watching sports, parties, and relaxing.
“Our society condones, supports, and in some cases promotes drinking such as through "drink of the day" specials, sale prices on certain brands, and associating alcohol with fun and sophistication,” said Taylor. “Although handled more like a food in Canada, alcohol is a mind-altering drug and there are health risks associated with drinking. Our low-risk drinking guidelines do not mean that alcohol is harmless.”
Many Canadians who consume alcohol do so responsibly, however, alcohol consumption is linked to over 200 different diseases, conditions and types of injuries. At least three million drinking Canadians risk acute illness such as an injury, and four and a half million risk chronic conditions such as liver disease and cancer.
“Our children grow up seeing alcohol in many aspects of their environment and around 3,000 are born with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder each year,” Taylor stated. “I hope this report will raise awareness and stimulate frank conversations between Canadians, especially with their loved ones, and helps us reflect on how our society deals with this mind-altering drug.”
The report explores the drinking patterns that impact the brain and behaviour, and the resulting impacts. Approximately 3,000 babies are born every year in Canada with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
According to the report, costs related to alcohol in Canada equalled approximately $14.6 billion in 2002. From April 2013 to March 2014, $20.5 billion worth of alcohol was sold in Canada. Globally, alcohol was linked to over three million deaths per year in 2012, slightly more than lung cancer and HIV/AIDS combined.
In 2013, an estimated 22 million Canadians 15 years of age and older, almost 80 per cent of the population, drank alcohol in the previous year, with the highest percentage of past year drinkers found in 30 to 34 year olds. The highest percentage of risky drinkers, based on drinking over the previous week, was found in young adults (ages 20 to 29).
From April 2013 to March 2014, Canadians bought almost 76 litres of beer, 16 litres of wine, five litres of spirits, and four litres of other alcoholic beverages per person. Proportionally, Canadians drink more beer (51 per cent) than spirits (27 per cent) or wine (22 per cent).
Drinking is more common in men than women, as is risky drinking. For every year between 2003 and 2010, approximately one in three men and one in five women aged 15 years and older who drink reported that they drank risky amounts of alcohol at least once a month. In the same period, approximately 50 per cent of young men and women (ages 18 to 24) who drank reported undertaking risky drinking on a monthly basis. Risky drinking is currently on the rise among women, especially those 35 years of age and older. In 2013, 56 per cent of women aged 15 years and older reported binge drinking (four drinks or more in one sitting) at least once in the previous year compared to 44 per cent in 2004.
In 2013, rates of past year use of alcohol were highest in Quebec and lowest in Newfoundland and Labrador. However, rates of risky drinking among drinkers were highest in Newfoundland and Labrador and lowest in Quebec. Other surveys show that people in the Maritimes drink more alcohol in a sitting while people in the Prairies drink less, both in terms of amount and frequency. People from Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia drink more frequently and drink most often during a meal.
In 2014, almost 18 per cent of Canadians reported drinking heavily. Ontario and British Columbia consistently had rates below the overall Canadian rate (both approximately 16 per cent in 2014) while data from Nunavut suggest similarly lower rates. The Northwest Territories (32.7 per cent), the Yukon (27.8 per cent) and Newfoundland and Labrador (25.4 per cent) had the highest rates.
The full report is available to the public online and can be accessed here.
