Canada's Low Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines

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Canada's Low Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines

 

Drinking alcohol always carries with it some level of risk.

For the first time, Canada has one set of low risk alcohol drinking guidelines to help Canadians moderate their alcohol consumption and reduce short and long-term alcohol-related harm. The guidelines are informed by the most recent and best available scientific research and evidence.

The Guidelines form the basis for the Alcohol Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral (SBIR) resource for Canadian family physicians, nurse practitioners and other healthcare professionals. This resource can assist health care professionals to help their patients better manage their alcohol consumption.

Canada's new Low Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines

Read Canada's new Low Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines | French

Additional Resources

A lot of people wonder if they drink too much and if their drinking habits are unhealthy. This simple test - Alcohol Reality check - helps you figure it out.

Fact Sheets

 

Fact Sheet on Alcohol and Chronic Disease

Fact Sheet on Alcohol and Breastfeeding

Fact Sheet on Alcohol and Pregnancy

The following resources were developed by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA) to provide further information on the Guidelines.

The following additional fact sheets were developed by the Centre for Addictions Research British Columbia, the BC Ministry of Health and the BC Centre for Excellence for Women's Health.

Research and Evidence

 

Canada's Low Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines were developed by a team of independent Canadian and international experts, on behalf of the National Alcohol Strategy Advisory Committee (NASAC).

To view the evidence paper, click here: Alcohol and Health in Canada: A Summary of Evidence and Guidelines for Low-Risk Drinking

Support for the Guidelines

 

On November 25, 2011, Federal, Provincial and Territorial Health Ministers received Canada's Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines as the best available advice to Canadians for low-risk drinking, and will promote the use of the Guidelines within their jurisdictions as appropriate.

The following organizations have publicly endorsed the guidelines:

  • Association of Local Public Health Agencies
  • Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police
  • Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse
  • Canadian Medical Association
  • Canadian Paediatric Society
  • Canadian Public Health Association
  • Centre for Addiction Research of British Columbia
  • Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
  • College of Family Physicians of Canada
  • Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health
  • Educ'alcool
  • MADD Canada
  • Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada
  • Association of Canadian Distillers
  • Brewers Association of Canada
  • Canadian Vintners Association