Alcohol guidelines offer a simple message: drinking less is better

On Aug. 29, the results of the updated Canada’s Low-Risk Drinking Guidelines were released for public consultation. As the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction releases the final version of the new guidance this week, now called Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health, we want to outline our approach. The initial report put forward a continuum of risk associated with alcohol consumption, where the risk of harm is low for those who consume two drinks or less per week; moderate for those who consume between three and six; and high for those who drink seven or more drinks per week. Canadians seemed to be largely in tune with these new results. According to a survey by the Association de santé publique du Québec, 78 pe cent of Quebecers consider that moderate alcohol consumption corresponds to five drinks or less per week. Media coverage of the results was also largely positive. During the fall, more than 800 media reports were devoted to the subject. Three-quarters of that content was neutral or supportive of the proposed drinking guidance. The results of the public consultation The public consultation revealed that certain elements of the update needed to be revised, nuanced or clarified. For example, although a section of the report was devoted to the risks associated with occasional drinking, many expressed concern about the absence of a daily recommendation. As a result, revisions were made, and the final report is now clearer: on days you drink, limit your intake to two drinks. It has also been revised to prevent people who cannot or do not want to reduce their consumption to low or moderate risk levels from feeling stigmatized. The final report emphasizes this: every drink counts, and any reduction in consumption is beneficial. In fact, heavy drinkers have even more to gain by reducing their consumption as much as possible. Finally, the public consultation confirmed that we had considered all the evidence, that the studies used were of the highest quality, and that they had been carefully analyzed. In short, after two years of research, an analysis of 5,915 scientific studies, and the consideration of 886 public consultation submissions , the evidence shows that in terms of alcohol, less consumption means less risk of health problems. The main recommendation of the report is for people who drink alcohol to reduce their consumption as much as possible. Simply put: drinking less is better. This recommendation is in line with international health organizations. In early January, the World Health Organization declared that no level of alcohol consumption is safe for your health. The next steps The new guidance will be helpful for health-care professionals who are essential allies in helping people assess their individual risk of harm. We also hope that health organizations will use the guidance to craft messages that directly address the specific needs of the populations they serve. Above all, we hope that the new guidance will be useful to anyone concerned about their health and who wants to know more about the effects of alcohol. The guidance was developed to empower people to make informed decisions and make their own choices about how much alcohol they drink. Catherine Paradis and Peter Butt are co-chairs of the Low Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines update project. The Hill Times