Alcohol

 

While drinking alcohol is a personal choice we encourage you to consider reducing your health risk by reducing the amount you drink. Check out the Canada's Guidance on Alcohol and Health for facts about alcohol and information on safer drinking tips. This new guidance provides people with the information you need to make informed decisions about alcohol use and their health.

 

About Canada's Guidance on Alcohol and Health

Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health advises that all levels of alcohol consumption are associated with some risk, so any reduction in alcohol use is beneficial.

What is a standard drink?

 

A standard drink is 17.05 ml or 13.45 grams of pure alcohol, which is equivalent to:

 

• 341 ml (12 oz.) bottle 5 per cent alcohol (beer, cider, coolers)
• 43 ml (1.5 oz.) shot of 40 per cent hard liquor (vodka, rum, gin, whiskey)
• 142 ml (5 oz.) glass of 12 per cent wine

Risks related to weekly alcohol use*

 

• 0 drinks per week - Not drinking has benefits, such as better health and better sleep
• 2 standard drinks or less per week - Likely to avoid alcohol-related consequences
• 3-6 standard drinks per week - Risk of developing several types of cancer, including breast and colon cancer increases
• 7 standard drinks or more per week - Risk of heart disease or stork increases significantly
• Each additional standard drink - Radically increases the risk of alcohol-related consequences 

*Health risks increase more steeply for women than for men when consuming above moderate levels of alcohol. There is no known safe amount of alcohol use when pregnant or trying to get pregnant

Additional Risks

 

 

Need help? Check out our Support Services Directory

 

Supporting Bill S-254 (Warning Labels on Alcohol Products)

 

On April 26th, the Board of Health of Algoma Public Health wrote to local Members of Parliament and the Honorable Senator Patrick Brazeau who sponsored Bill S-254 to express support  to amend the Food and Drugs Act (warning label on alcoholic beverages) and call on the federal government of Canada to implement alcohol warning labels that:

1. Indicate the volume that constitutes a standard drink; and
2. Detail the number of standard drinks in the beverage container; and
3. Display health messages regarding the relationship between the number of standard drinks consumed and health
   outcomes, including the risk of cancer. 

 

References 

 

Date of Creation: June 1, 2015

Last Modified: July 5, 2023