Canada’s new alcohol guidelines have evoked a range of reactions this week, from confusion, to anger, to some claiming the government is simply stating the obvious.
The study, conducted by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) found that three to six standards drinks a week puts drinkers at moderate risk of seven types of cancer.
One Ontario man had a hilarious and honestly relatable reaction when asked about the new guidance by Hamilton television station CHCH.
“Two drinks a week what’s that gonna do for ya?” the man asked. “I mean that doesn’t even get you through a day. It’s heartbreaking and I can’t even believe it.”
The man went on to ask what many of us are thinking, saying, “what? Can I have two litres of pop? Can I have two litres of pop?! Well what’s more healthy? Four beers or two litres of Coca Cola? Do the math.”
The guidance states that one to two drinks per week is low risk, three to six drinks per week presents a moderate risk, and seven or more standard drinks per week is an increasingly high risk.
According to the study, beyond six drinks, you continue to increase your risk for several types of cancer, most types of cardiovascular disease, liver disease and violence.
Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health replaces the 2011 Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines.
According to the federal government, a standard drink is 17.05 millilitres or 13.45 grams of pure alcohol.
This is the equivalent of one bottle of beer (12 oz., 341 ml, 5 per cent alcohol), a glass of wine (5 oz., 142 ml, 12 per cent alcohol), or one shot of a spirit (1.5 oz., 43 ml, 40 per cent alcohol).
“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,” said Alexander Caudarella, Chief Executive Officer of the CCSA in the report.
With the weekend right around the corner, let this new study remind you to always drink responsibly. As for the recommendation of only two standard drinks per week, we’ll leave it up to you to decide if you’d like to listen.
