Alcohol use impacts everyone. How does it impact you and those around you?
Curious to know your health risks from alcohol? Use our calculator to find out.
Do you have people between the ages of 15 to 24 in your life? Discussing alcohol with them is advisable, but serving them alcohol is not.
How you model alcohol use is more important than what you say about it. Your behaviour around alcohol is the biggest influence on whether or how young people in your life drink.
Alcohol use and its effects on marginalized groups, such as Indigenous peoples, ethnic minorities, sexual and gender minorities, and the elderly, remain under-researched. Indigenous communities in particular experience disproportionately high rates of alcohol use and related harms, stemming in part from the historical impacts of colonization, state violence, and intergenerational trauma.
As new research emerges, it will be important to reassess and address the impact of alcohol use on these groups and to engage with Indigenous communities to promote and strengthen culturally appropriate approaches to healing and wellness.
Did you know? Alcohol accounts for the most substance-use-related economic costs and harms in Canada, more than tobacco, opioids, or cannabis.
In Canada, alcohol is responsible for:
People who have an alcohol use disorder aren’t solely responsible for these costs and harms; moderate drinkers also contribute significantly to these, especially through binge drinking.
Alcohol use is also the leading cause of serious road collisions and kills and injures more Canadians than any other crime.
Many Canadians also experience harms from their own or someone else’s alcohol use. What’s your experience?