‘Albertans have the correct to make knowledgeable choices about their well being. The brand new tips present vital info to assist Albertans scale back their threat concerning alcohol use.

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Alberta Well being Companies is updating its web site to replicate new federal tips on the well being dangers of consuming greater than two alcoholic drinks per week.
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The Canadian Heart on Substance Use and Habit (CCSA) introduced earlier this month that it was transferring away from its 2011 recommendation that girls ought to eat not more than 10 drinks per week and males not more than 15 to scale back long-term well being dangers. The CCSA now says there’s a continuum of dangers related to alcohol use.
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The danger is low for somebody who consumes two commonplace drinks or much less per week, whereas the danger of sure kinds of most cancers will increase when three to 6 drinks per week are consumed. Every further drink per week will increase the danger of alcohol-related penalties, together with coronary heart illness and stroke, in accordance with the brand new tips.
“Albertans have the correct to make knowledgeable choices about their well being. The brand new tips present vital info to assist Albertans scale back their threat concerning alcohol use,” AHS stated in an announcement to Postmedia.
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“Many Albertans battle with alcohol use. Prevention is a vital a part of Alberta’s recovery-oriented care system, and that features elevating consciousness of the dangers related to ingesting alcohol,” AHS stated.
CCSA stated the steering relies on the elemental concept that Canadians have a proper to know that each one alcohol use carries dangers.
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“Irrespective of the place you’re on the continuum, in your well being, much less alcohol is best,” CCSA stated.
‘It is all about reducing the danger’
Dr. Abdel-Aziz Shaheen, affiliate professor of drugs and a gastroenterologist on the College of Calgary and AHS, stated he’s happy that the up to date tips are beginning a dialog concerning the dangers of alcohol use.
“To alter the tradition, it isn’t going to occur from one coverage change, or in two to 5 years,” Shaheen stated Wednesday.
“I am probably not aiming for a dramatic shift or everybody abruptly solely having one or two drinks per week. But when we get individuals to remember and at the least scale back their ingesting from 20 drinks per week to 5 or 10 per week, we obtain progress as a result of we decrease the danger. It is all about reducing the danger to people.”
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Shaheen stated that in North America, one-third of liver illness is expounded to alcohol. Analysis exhibits {that a} higher variety of individuals are ingesting extra because the pandemic, he stated.
“Some individuals might settle for the danger, some individuals might not,” Shaheen stated. “I inform individuals to concentrate on their alcohol consumption. Discover your individual acceptable threat. . . However I’d inform anybody who drinks greater than seven drinks per week to rethink their consumption since you are placing your self at excessive threat for a lot of situations and kinds of most cancers.”
Alberta needs to tell residents concerning the accountable use of alcohol
Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Hashish (AGLC) stated a 2022 survey discovered that 74 % of Albertans drink two or fewer alcoholic drinks per week or don’t drink alcohol in any respect. AGLC stated in an announcement to Postmedia that it exhibits Albertans are consuming alcohol responsibly.
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“Whether or not you select to drink or not, understanding the results of alcohol will enable you to make knowledgeable decisions about ingesting, resulting in a safer and extra gratifying expertise with household and pals,” the assertion stated.
AGLC provides a DrinkSense program geared toward educating Albertans concerning the accountable use of liquor.
The part of the web site that talks concerning the results of alcohol on well being nonetheless incorporates a hyperlink to a CCSA web page from 2018, with a chart of the 2011 tips.
Anybody scuffling with alcohol use can name the Alberta Well being Companies Habit Helpline at 1-866-332-2322 at any time without cost, confidential info and referral assist.
sbabych@postmedia.com