Alcohol - Information for Healthcare Providers

Either directly or indirectly, alcohol use affects many Canadians. As a healthcare provider, you are in a unique position to make a big difference in the lives of your patients:

Ask about alcohol use
Advise on the short/long-term physical, mental, emotional and social risks
Assess readiness to make a change with their use
Assist in strategies to optimize their health and wellbeing in regards to alcohol
Arrange for additional support

Point of Care Tools

Alcohol Screening and Treatment Resources
Primary Care Addiction Toolkit
This practical reference has been created for healthcare providers who work in a primary care setting. Based on current clinical evidence, the toolkit addresses common clinical issues, and provides useful clinical tools and resources for patients.The Primary Care Addiction Toolkit includes four modules: Fundamentals of addiction, Dealing with alcohol problems, Smoking cessation, opioid misuse and addiction, and T-ACE alcohol screening tool. T-ACE alcohol screening tool is a brief intervention tool that has been shown to be very useful in helping pregnant women who drink low to moderate amounts of alcohol reduce their alcohol intake during pregnancy.
Asking about Alcohol and Birth Control Use Together
This information sheet has been developed by the Prevention Action Group, of FASD ONE. It outlines the need to screen all women in their childbearing years for alcohol use and the use of birth control in preventing FASD.

Programs and Services

Connex Ontario
Connex Ontario (1-866-531-2600) provides free, confidential health services for people living with addiction, mental health, and problem gambling. A live operator is available 24/7 who can connect your patient with programs in your local community.

Heartspace
Heartspace, a program offered through Addiction Services of Thames Valley, is a specialized prevention, early identification, education, and treatment program for women who are pregnant, parenting and substance-involved and their children (prenatal – 6 years of age).

Key Documents/Best Practice Guidelines/References

Alcohol Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral : A Clinical Guidelines for Healthcare Providers to Promote Low-Risk Drinking Among Patients
This guideline is intended to reduce alcohol-related harms through screening, brief intervention and/or referral to specialized services.

Guidance on Alcohol and Health
In January 2023, The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) released New Guidance on Alcohol and Health that replaced the 2011 Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines. This new guidance was created to help individuals in Canada make informed choices about their own health and alcohol consumption with evidence-based information.

CanFASD
The Canada Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Research Network (CanFASD) is an interdisciplinary research network, with collaborators, researchers and partners across the nation. It is Canada’s first comprehensive national Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) research network.

Patient Handouts

Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health, Public Summary: Drinking Less is Better (Infographic)
Rethink Your Drinking
Rethink Your Drinking is an awareness campaign that encourages moderation or low-risk drinking to support healthy lifestyle choices and reduce short and long-term risks associated with alcohol consumption.
Parents Matter - Prevent or Delay Alcohol and Other Drug Use (booklet)
Check Your Drinking
This survey is anonymous and has been designed to help answer questions about drinking. It's quick, easy, and free.
Video Series - Teens and Substance Misuse
These videos highlight information about talking to teens about alcohol and other drugs, factors that put teens at risk for alcohol and other drug use, signs of alcohol and other drug use in teens, risks for teens of using alcohol and other drugs, what to do if you suspect a teen is using alcohol or other drugs, setting boundaries and consequences for teens regarding alcohol and other drugs.

Parent Action Pack: Stats, Facts and Talking Points About Alcohol and Other Drugs
This is a useful resource for parents and caregivers of adolescents in the 14 -18 year age range.

MotherToBaby

Mocktail Madness Booklet (PDF)

Women and Alcohol (PDF)
Why do Girls and Women Drink Alcohol During Pregnancy? (PDF)

Date of creation: June 15, 2017
Last modified on: January 27, 2023