It’s not too late to go alcohol-free for Dry February...

A message from your Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Robert Kyle

It’s Dry February and while the month might be half over, there are still many advantages to participate and go alcohol-free for the rest of the month. There are many benefits that you could experience by avoiding alcohol including having more energy, experiencing better sleep quality, and an overall general sense of well-being.

We now know that even a small amount of alcohol can be damaging to health. Science is evolving and the recommendations about alcohol use have changed over the years. Research shows that no amount or kind of alcohol is good for your health. It doesn’t matter what kind of alcohol – wine, beer, cider, or spirits – drinking alcohol, even a small amount, is damaging to everyone, regardless of age, sex, gender, ethnicity, tolerance for alcohol or lifestyle.

That’s why I am encouraging everyone to make an informed decision about alcohol use. The general recommendation is if you drink, it’s better to drink less.

The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) released Canada's Guidance on Alcohol and Health. This guidance helps people in Canada understand the risks associated with alcohol consumption to help reduce short and long-term harm to health. CCSA analyzed the latest scientific evidence on illness, cancer risk, violence, injury, and deaths related to alcohol. Among healthy individuals, the risk for alcohol-related harms increases as follows:

• One to two standard drinks a week is low risk (a standard drink is considered roughly 14 grams of alcohol).
• Three to six standard drinks a week is a moderate risk; increases risk of developing at least seven types of cancers, including breast, esophagus, colon, rectum, liver, mouth, and throat.
• Seven or more standard drinks a week increases risk of developing heart disease and stroke.
• With each additional drink, the risk of having health problems, other diseases and injury rapidly increases (binge drinking is defined as five standard drinks or more for men and four standard drinks or more for women, on a single occasion).

The new guidance also addresses the specific needs of groups facing higher risks from the harms associated with alcohol, including youth, women, older adults, and people with chronic diseases. Other key messages found in Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health include:

• Disproportionately more injuries, violence and deaths result from men’s drinking.
• It is safest not to drink while pregnant and during the pre-conception period.
• For women who are breastfeeding, it is safest not to use alcohol.

Hoping that your Dry February efforts bring more benefits as the year progresses. For more information visit durham.ca/Alcohol.