Beyond dry January, supporting a culture of moderation

New Year's is a time when we resolve to make a fresh start and change our lives for the better. Following the lead-up to the holiday season, many of us are now paying our bills and looking to alter our consumption of food and beverages. January is a time to get things back on track and create a new normal. Canadians are busy joining gyms, eating more kale, and maybe engaging in a dry January. Like all wellness journeys, the commitment to forego alcohol for a month is a lifestyle choice. For some, it is an opportunity to address their broader calorie intake, and for others, it provides a chance to evaluate their relationship with alcohol. This could mean sobriety for some and moderation for others, but it remains a personal choice and an important consideration to support a safe and healthy lifestyle. As part of any moderation journey, many will reflect upon and possibly begin to track the number of standard drinks consumed each week. Others may decide to include a couple of alcohol-free days per week, and possibly alternate with lower alcohol or alcohol-free alternatives. Knowing what a standard drink is and tracking your consumption are important determinants to defining the right amount. Dan Paszkowski is the president of Wine Growers Canada. Photograph courtesy of Wine Growers Canada That’s why Wine Growers Canada launched The Right Amount campaign in 2021. The initiative promotes responsible consumption of wine and provides the tools to enjoy wine in moderation. Consumers today live fast-paced lives and want information that is simple to understand and easy to access. The Right Amount delivers on these demands and makes it easy for consumers to make informed choices about their alcohol consumption, including facts on sobriety, drinking and driving, alcohol and health, and easy-to-use tools, such as our standard drink calculator. Canada’s Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines (LRDG) were created by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and Addiction and adopted by the federal government in 2011. The guidelines were designed to “help you make informed decisions about drinking,” but due to the non-promotion of the guidelines by CCSA and the government, there has been a lack of public awareness of the LRDGs. On Jan. 17, the CCSA is scheduled to release an update to the low-risk drinking guidelines. The release comes after the CCSA’s public consultation in fall 2022. They recommended the federal government drastically reduce the definition of low-risk drinking to two alcoholic drinks per week, and introduce regulations requiring warning labels on beverage alcohol containers. In a recent survey commissioned by Wine Growers Canada, 60 per cent of Canadians preferred an approach that focuses on responsible consumption rather than narrowly focusing on the risks of consuming alcohol. Now more than ever, consumers want to know more about their drink of choice and are looking to digital technology and social media platforms for content and context on health, lifestyle, and information on responsible alcohol consumption. Globally, we are seeing new and innovative ways to equip consumers with information on moderate and responsible drinking. For example, the European Commission is moving away from adding information on product package labels. Starting this year, a QR code on the label will give consumers access to a digital platform that will require all beverage alcohol producers to provide health, calorie, and nutritional information. Thanks to digital technology, this information can now be easily accessed to meet consumer needs wherever, whenever, and in the language of their choice. Wine Growers Canada believes in the importance of informing Canadians of the health risks associated with harmful alcohol consumption. We will continue to meet with Members of Parliament and senior government officials to push for government support in The Right Amount to supercharge information dissemination and knowledge transfer to Canadians. It’s essential for Canadians to have confidence in public health institutions, and the messaging must be informative, not persuasive, and based on sound science. From some to none, the right amount is different for every person. This month, and every month of the year, TheRightAmount.ca will link consumers to important information to help them make informed choices. Dan Paszkowski is the president of Wine Growers Canada. The Hill Times