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Women and Alcohol – Maybe It’s Time to Rethink Your Drinking

In Canada, drinking alcohol is normalized behaviour, especially for women. We drink to socialize, celebrate, cope, connect or escape. However, the relationship between women and alcohol is complicated. Biological differences, including body weight and size, genes, enzyme levels, organ function and metabolism, all impact how alcohol affects women. These differences result in higher blood alcohol levels, faster intoxication and more risk for harm including breast cancer, liver damage and other injuries for women. 

In January 2023, The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) released Canada’s New Guidance on Alcohol and Health, replacing the 2011 Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines. This new guidance helps Canadians make informed choices about their health and alcohol consumption by providing evidence-based information about what a standard drink is and the alcohol-related health risks (e.g. cancer) at various drinking levels (low, moderate and increasingly high). While drinking alcohol can have a direct impact on a person’s individual health, it can also affect others, including those under your care, like children and elders.   

www.RethinkYourDrinking.ca is a regional website from the public health units in southwestern Ontario containing valuable, judgement-free information and resources to support individuals exploring their relationship with alcohol. Their latest campaign encourages women to talk to each other about the risks of alcohol and to explore the benefits of reducing consumption. We support our friends in so many ways, so why not tell a friend about the risks of alcohol and cancer? It might be time to Rethink Your Drinking.

For more information about alcohol, visit www.RethinkYourDrinking.ca.  

References 

Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction. (2022). Sex, gender and alcohol. https://ccsa.ca/sites/default/files/2022-08/CCSA-LRDG-Sex-Gender-and-Alcohol-what-matters-for-Women-in-LRDGs-en.pdf

Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction. (2023). Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health: Final Report. https://www.ccsa.ca/sites/default/files/2023-01/CCSA_Canadas_Guidance_on_Alcohol_and_Health_Final_Report_en.pdf

 

Melissa Knowler RN, BScN, BA for the Middlesex-London Health Unit

 

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