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Name The One Thing That’s Slowed The Way Canadians Drink

June 8, 2015 By Shelly Wutke Leave a Comment

how-much-do-canadians-drinkJust how many alcoholic drinks do Canadians consume on a daily, weekly, or yearly average? That’s the million-dollar question explored in the National Post recently, and the answer probably won’t surprise you.

According to the National Post, 80% of Canadians drink

Not only do nearly 22 million people drink alcohol every year, recent studies have shown that Canadians are drinking more than they should be. There are low-risk guidelines from Canadian Health agencies, and 18.8% of Canadians exceed those limits. The average Canadian drank approximately 469 drinks in 2014, and that number is down slightly from the late 1980’s when they drank approximately 502 drinks per year.

Drinking and driving laws slowed down consumption in the 1990s

If drinking was at an all time high in the 1980’s, the 90s were the decade when drinking started to slow down. That slow down had a lot to do with a shift in public perception of drinking and strict drinking and driving laws.

By 1999, Canadian impaired driving laws were harsh and on the cusp of getting harsher. A first impaired driving offense where the offender blew over .08 resulted in a 12 to 36 month driver’s license suspension, fines up to $2,000, and jail time up to 6 months. Ignition interlock programs were available in some areas, and if they were available, some offenders could reduce their driver’s license suspensions if they installed one.

Other interesting findings from the National Post’s research on how Canadians drink includes:

  • Canadians spend over 20.5 billion dollars on alcohol
  • 5% of all alcoholic drinks are consumed during the week
  • Out of all the alcohol people drink, beer is the beverage most consumed, weighing in at 57% compared to wine coming in at 42%
  • Female drinking is on the rise, with 35% of women drinking compared to 65% of men

Summer is right around the corner, so it’s a good time to take a look at your own drinking habits and decide if you need to cut back. And remember: for your own safety and the safety of others on the road with you, don’t drink and drive.

Filed Under: General Information Tagged With: Binge Drinking, Drunk Driving, Health

The Dangers Of Binge Drinking

May 13, 2015 By Shelly Wutke Leave a Comment

binge-drinkingThere’s a reason why doctors always tell you ‘Do everything in moderation.’ If you eat too much, drive too fast, or drink too much, it can and will have negative effects on your health. Take drinking alcohol for example—binge drinking wine, beer, or spirits until you’re well past the point of intoxication is something that can work against you very quickly. What’s the worst that can happen if you binge drink? According to new research, binge drinking is extremely dangerous for your heart.

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health surveyed 4000 heart attack victims to see if there was an increase in heart attack risk after binge drinking. Each individual was asked about his or her drinking habits prior to their heart episode, and after crunching the data, the researchers found that the biggest chance of a repeat heart attack increases by 72% in the hour after the person began drinking.

The increase risk of a heart attack is scary enough, but research also indicated that binge drinking and repeat exposure to alcohol had an effect on a person’s long term memory and their learning skills. This is bad news for teens that binge drink, because binge drinking while young has already been proven to disrupt brain development and increase the likelihood of having a substance abuse problem as they grow older.

You might think the worst thing that can happen after binge drinking is alcohol poisoning or a really bad hang over, but for people who already have heart issues, binge drinking can lead to an outcome much worse than that because a heart attack can land you in the emergency room or take your life in a second. If you’re at risk for heart trouble, it might be a good time to take a word of advice from the doctor and make sure if you drink, you drink moderately.

Filed Under: General Information Tagged With: Binge Drinking, Health, Underage Drinking

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