The latest stats are in on drinking—and they’re pretty dire.
The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) kicked off the new year by delivering a long-awaited report on the risks of alcohol consumption. The report updates Canadian medical guidance in accordance with new evidence on the risks of alcohol consumption since the CCSA’s previous report established guidelines in 2011. The report, entitled Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health, makes several drastic changes to the previous government alcohol guidelines.
Prior to January 2023, the Canadian government recommended individuals assigned male at birth consume no more than 15 standard drinks per week and individuals assigned female at birth consume no more than ten standard drinks per week. Now, the CCSA’s updated guidelines suggest fewer than two standard drinks for all individuals. A standard drink is defined by the CCSA as the equivalent of a 12-oz. bottle of five percent alcohol beer, or a 5-oz. glass of 12 percent alcohol wine.
These new recommendations have been made according to the most recent research on the risk of premature death due to alcohol consumption. According to the CCSA, current medical research suggests that ingesting between one and two alcoholic drinks per week increases a person’s risk of premature death to 1 in 1000. However, ingesting between three and six drinks per week increases the same risk to 1 in 100, and the risk of premature death increases substantially for each additional drink beyond six. This effect is more pronounced in individuals assigned female at birth than those assigned male at birth.
Alcohol has been known to contribute to a variety of health conditions including cancer, heart disease, and stroke. Alcohol is a proven carcinogen for seven types of cancer, and Health Canada attributes 7,000 cases of cancer death to alcohol consumption per year. Alcohol consumption is also a proven risk factor for most types of cardiovascular disease, including heart failure, as well as a leading cause of liver disease through the build-up of fat in the liver. The CCSA also warns that alcohol is known to increase incidences of violent behaviour and can elevate the risk of intimate partner violence and assault.
In their report, the CCSA calls on the Canadian government to introduce new health warning labels on alcohol containers to ensure public awareness of the proven carcinogenic effects of alcohol as well as to inform consumers of the units of standard drinks in a container of alcohol. Legislation to that effect is already underway—Bill S-254, tabled in the Senate by Senator Patrick Brazeau in November 2022, would require all manufacturers of alcohol in Canada to place cancer warning labels on alcohol containers and is currently in its second reading on the Senate floor. If a majority of senators vote in favour of the Bill, it will move to a vote in the House of Commons.
The CCSA reminds Canadians that the only way to eliminate the risks associated with drinking alcohol is to not drink at all.
