Drinking too much? New guide on alcohol consumption outlines limits for Canadians

Recommendations by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction say that drinking more than two standard drinks per occasion is associated with increased health risks.

Canadians should consider limiting their alcohol consumption to two drinks or less per week, according to new national guidance.

The recommendations released Tuesday by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) said that drinking more than two standard drinks — an equivalent of 13.45g of pure alcohol – at a time is associated with increased risks.

The CCSA report is an update to Canada’s Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines that were published in 2011.

The update comes after two years of research, a review of nearly 6,000 peer-reviewed studies. and about 1,000 survey submissions from the public. Part of the project was funded by Health Canada.

The definition of a standard drink in Canada is equivalent to a bottle of beer, glass of wine, a shot glass of spirits or a bottle of cider.

The harm to yourself and others is “moderate” — meaning a 1 in 100 risk of premature death — if you have three to six drinks weekly, CCSA said. As you increase the intake, the risks grow higher — more steeply for women than men above when they go over six drinks per week.

Previous Canadian guidelines implemented in 2011 considered up to two drinks a day, or 10 a week for women and three daily drinks, or 15 per week, for men as “low risk.”

The updated guidance aims to provide an “evidence base for future alcohol policy and prevention resources, with a view to changing Canada’s drinking culture and curbing the normalization of harmful alcohol use in society,” CCSA said in its report.