New Canadian Alcohol Consumption Guidelines – Are Warning Labels on the Horizon?

Canada’s alcohol consumption guidelines have been updated to reflect up-to-date knowledge on the effects of alcohol on health and social harm. The update was led by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and Addition (CCSA) and replaces the outdated guidelines last issued in 2011.

Download the guidelines PDF.

Key guidance:

0 drinks per week
Not drinking has benefits, such as better health, and better sleep.

2 standard drinks or less per week
You are likely to avoid alcohol-related consequences for yourself or others at this level.

Note: the old guidelines recommended no more than 15 drinks per week for men and 10 drinks per week for women.

3–6 standard drinks per week
Your risk of developing several types of cancer, including breast and colon cancer, increases at this level.

7 standard drinks or more per week
Your risk of heart disease or stroke increases significantly at this level.

There is no safe amount of alcohol to consume when pregnant or trying to become pregnant, and when breastfeeding, drinking no alcohol is safest.

Source: “Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health”, CCSA, January 2023.

BC alcohol consumption is at its highest since 2001 – the first year the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR) began tracking per capita consumption rates.

There’s probably a little more anxiety in the BC liquor market as a result of the announcement, because  experts are pushing for warning labels on liquor products.

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