What you should know about Canada's new alcohol guidelines

Canada has overhauled its alcohol consumption guidance, and the difference between the new and old recommendations is stark. Here is a summary of what we know about the new guidelines.

Canada has overhauled its alcohol consumption guidance, and the difference between the new and old recommendations is stark.

The latest round of recommendations published by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) is the first update to the guidelines in 11 years. CCSA released a report containing the guidelines on Tuesday.

While acknowledging that 40 per cent of people living in Canada aged 15 and older consume more than six standard drinks per week, the report warns that no amount of alcohol is safe to consume. It recommends a new cap on weekly alcohol consumption that is significantly lower than the previous one and lays out new guidelines for people who are breastfeeding or trying to conceive.

Here is a summary of what we know about the new guidelines.

The CCSA announced in September 2020 that it would launch an initiative to bring the existing Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines – released in 2011 – in line with the latest evidence on alcohol consumption health and safety risks.

The new guidance would also address the specific needs of groups facing a higher risk from the harms associated with alcohol, including youth, women, older adults and people with chronic diseases.

“The current Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines are a vital tool to support Canadians in assessing their alcohol consumption," said Rita Notarandrea, CEO of CCSA, in a media release published on Sept. 17, 2020.