Health agencies have for years been telling us to eat more fibre, consume less red meat and keep a close eye on the amounts of sodium and sugar in our diets.
All are worthy recommendations that many try to follow, with varying degrees of success, in an attempt to lead healthier lives.
Following health recommendations regarding alcohol seems to be rather more of a challenge.
The consumption of wine, beer and spirits has been embedded in societal behaviour for centuries, and most people think alcohol produces few ill effects when used in moderation — as long as drinking isn’t followed by driving an automobile.
Conversely, few have been spared the scars of alcohol addiction. Physical, emotional, spiritual or financial harms caused by alcohol abuse doesn’t just affect one person; they create havoc for entire families or communities, with the after-effects lasting generations.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES New guidelines discourage any amount of alcohol consumption.
The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA), a non-profit group funded by Health Canada, left headline writers, talk-show hosts and social-media commentators both shaken and stirred last month when it released new low-risk alcohol consumption guidelines.
“Even in small quantities, alcohol is not good for your health,” states the summary of its report, which recommends no more than two drinks per week to avoid the negative consequences of alcohol consumption — a sharp reduction from its 2011 standard of 10 drinks a week for women and 15 per week for men.
The report identifies alcohol as a carcinogen, and states people who have three to six drinks per week increase the risk of developing breast, colon or other cancers. Those having seven or more drinks per week also heighten their risk of heart disease or stroke, with each additional drink increasing the threat.
The report identifies alcohol as a carcinogen, and states people who have three to six drinks per week increase the risk of developing breast, colon or other cancers.
Among the CCSA’s recommendations to Health Canada is a requirement for mandatory health warnings on all alcoholic beverages — the U.S. enacted such a law in 1989 — which would be similar to Health Canada’s labelling mandate for tobacco and cannabis products.
The report says alcohol led to 18,000 deaths in Canada in 2017, and its economic impact was $16.6 billion, $5.4 billion of which was spent on health care.
If it’s true, as CCSA suggests, that Canada has an alcohol problem, it is one shared by the federal government and its provincial and territorial counterparts.
Canada’s governments collect about $20 billion a year by taxing alcohol, and Manitoba’s government also profits from operating Liquor Marts, which sell the preponderance of the province’s booze.
Provincially owned Liquor Marts advertise the products they sell; meanwhile, governments across Canada, including Manitoba’s, promote the safe use of alcohol and fund programs to help those addicted to its use regain their sobriety.
Canada’s governments collect about $20 billion a year by taxing alcohol, and Manitoba’s government also profits from operating Liquor Marts, which sell the preponderance of the province’s booze.
Alcohol taxes levied by governments (which Ottawa will hike 6.3 per cent on April 1), combined with guidelines and appeals for moderation from health agencies such as the CCSA, have prompted Canadians to cut back on their alcohol intake.
The average Canadian aged 15 or older consumed 8.81 litres of alcohol in 2019, according to the World Health Organization’s latest figures — down from 10.21 litres in 2009.
In the end, it’s up to each individual to decide how much risk they will accept if they wish to drink their favourite brew, wine or spirit, just as we all do when we choose what we eat, how much we exercise or how we drive our automobiles.
In releasing its new guidelines, the CCSA deserves praise for setting out the risks in a decidedly forthright manner.
Some Canadians will pay little heed to the warning; others will no doubt be inclined to look away and ask their server for another round.
