London, ON – With the seasonal increase in social gatherings and celebrations that comes with the Holidays, the Middlesex-London Health Unit is reminding local residents to “rethink their drinking” and that when it comes to alcohol, size matters. In fact, even consuming alcohol at levels as low as one-and-a-half drinks a day, can lead to negative health impacts.
To help the community better understand the link between alcohol consumption and health, the Health Unit is participating in the province-wide Rethink Your Drinking campaign. The effort, with its associated website (www.rethinkyourdrinking.ca), offers information about standard drinks, recommended time between drinks, the link between alcohol and chronic disease, how alcohol affects men and women differently, and additional resources.
“Whether or not we consume alcohol is a personal choice; for many people having a drink is a normal part of holiday gatherings,” says Melissa Knowler, Public Health Nurse with the Middlesex-London Health Unit’s Healthy Communities and Injury Prevention Team. “While we aren’t suggesting that people stop drinking, we do want those who make the choice to consume alcohol to think differently about their intake and bring it in line with Canada’s Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines.”
The Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines are designed to help Canadians between the ages of 25 and 65 make informed choices about their alcohol consumption with a goal of reducing their risk for immediate and long-term alcohol-related harm. Alcohol consumption has been linked to more than 200 different diseases, such as liver cirrhosis and several types of cancer, including breast cancer; and it can also increase the risk of injuries caused by bad decisions and risky behaviour.
Having a better understanding of how much alcohol is actually being consumed is a key part of the Rethink Your Drinking campaign, as the amount of alcohol in a standard drink varies from one beverage to the next. Under Canada’s Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines, a standard drink is equal to one 341 ml bottle of 5% beer, five ounces of wine or one-and-a-half ounces liquor. It’s important to note however, that a typical glass of wine can sometimes contain more than two standard drinks.
The Rethink Your Drinking campaign aims to change the way we think about and use alcohol, while addressing several key considerations, while reducing the potential for negative health effects. For more information about safer alcohol use, visit www.rethinkyourdrinking.ca.
Media Contact:
Dan Flaherty, Communications Manager, Middlesex-London Health Unit,
519-663-5317 ext.2469 or 519-617-0570 (cell.)
Spokesperson:
Melissa Knowler, Public Health Nurse, Healthy Communities and Injury Prevention Team