Summary

Canada's new alcohol guidelines recommend significantly lower consumption for safe drinking.

Abstract

The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) has released new guidelines for safe alcohol consumption, which call for a drastic reduction in what people consider "normal" levels of drinking. The guidelines suggest that 3-6 standard drinks per week represent a moderate risk to health, and that the more you drink, the more you increase your risk of various diseases. The previous standard was two drinks per day for men and one for women. The article's author is happy to see this change and believes that alcohol makes people forget what their baseline health is.

Opinions

The author is glad to see a bigger push for more information about what alcohol actually does to your body.
The author thinks people can have a beer with their hockey game if they want.
The author believes that alcohol tricks people into thinking that feeling tired all the time and feeling irritable is normal.
The author thinks that the concept of a continuum of risk puts power in people's hands to make their own informed decisions.
The author thinks that any reduction in alcohol use can be beneficial.
The author thinks that young people are eschewing drinking more and more.
The author thinks that the more we know about alcohol, the more we realize that less is more.

My country is finally getting serious about alcohol guidelines

Two drinks per day? Try two per week.

My country is redefining safe levels of alcohol consumption.

The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) has released new guidelines for safe alcohol consumption, and it calls for a drastic reduction of what people consider “normal” levels of drinking.

Honestly, I’m really happy to see this.

Ever since I made the decision to get alcohol out of my life in the summertime, it has definitely shifted my perspective on government-sanctioned guidelines.

You need look no further than your own appearance, energy levels, and mental health improvements after just a short time without alcohol to know that it’s slowly poisoning you to death (it actually is classified as a poison, by the way).

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: alcohol makes you forget what your baseline health is.

As it becomes a part of your everyday life, it tricks you into thinking that feeling tired all the time, feeling irritable … that it’s all normal.

And that the best way to deal with it is to have a drink.

This move to redefine safe levels of consumption is especially great to see from my country, where alcohol is a big part of the culture.

Beer and hockey

If you want to see just how ingrained the beer-and-hockey stereotype Canadians embrace is, look no further than what might be the most famous commercial in Canadian history (as you’ll see, differentiating ourselves from Americans is our second-favourite national pastime after hockey).

Yes, beer is such a big part of being Canadian that our most popular brand is called Canadian.

Now, I’m not a zealot. I think people can have a beer with their hockey game if they want.

But I am glad to see a bigger push for more information about what alcohol actually does to your body.

The new guidelines

According to the CCSA’s new guidelines, “3–6 standard drinks a week represents a moderate risk to your health. After that, the more you drink, the more you increase your risk of seven types of cancer, most types of cardiovascular diseases, liver disease and violence.

“The bottom line is that, when it comes to alcohol and your health, less is better.”

The more you drink, the CCSA points out, the higher your risk:

1–2 standard drinks per week is low risk,
3–6 standard drinks per week is a moderate risk
7 or more standard drinks per week is an increasingly high risk
No matter where you are on that continuum of alcohol use, for your health,less is better
If you’re going to drink, don’t exceed more than 2 drinks on any day
When pregnant or trying to get pregnant, there is no known safe amount of alcohol

That’s a pretty significant drop from the previous standard (which remains in place for many other countries) of two drinks per day for men and one for women.

And contrast that to the Japanese government’s call last summer for its young people to drink more to support the economy.

“People have a right to know this information … the concept of a continuum of risk puts power in people’s hands to make their own informed decisions,” Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) Alexander Caudarella said after the guidelines were released.

“The evidence is clear that every drink counts. It’s also clear that it’s never too late to make changes. Any reduction in alcohol use can be beneficial.”

Less is more

Over the past four months since quitting, I’ve written dozens of articles about all the ways my life, and the lives of celebrities you know and love, have improved after quitting alcohol.

The Japanese government’s move speaks to at least one positive trend: young people are eschewing drinking more and more.

As that country ages, there aren’t enough young drinkers to replace the old.

And recent studies show that alcohol consumption among Gen Z is on the decline across the board.

It’s great to see new guidelines align with young people’s smarter approach to drinking.

The more we know about alcohol, the more realize that less is more.

Friends, thank you so much for taking the time to read this piece! If you enjoyed it, please give it some claps so others can find it!

My most-read posts:

The latest from me:

Have you found Medium via this story but aren’t yet a member? Did you know membership starts at just $5 a month (and you can cancel any time)? There’s no risk and you get access to all Medium has to offer. To continue reading stories like this and give me a ‘lil kickback, please consider supporting this publication directly by using my link to sign up! You can also leave a tip using the button below if you enjoyed this article!