We hear a lot about people who choose abstinence. However, Quebec still has as many alcohol consumers (84% of those aged 15 and over). The good news is that they are a little more reasonable than before.
More Quebecers than five years ago are respecting the recommended alcohol consumption limits, according to the five-year survey conducted by CROP for Éduc’alcool, which examines the relationship of Quebecers with alcohol on different levels.
To reduce the risk of “acute alcohol-related harm”, on special occasions men should drink no more than four drinks and women three. In 2017, 36% of men and 45% of women said they never exceeded this limit. Today, this proportion climbs to 44% for men and 54% for women, according to the survey released on Thursday.
This increase of nearly 10% is “considerable”, remarks the general manager of Éduc’alcool, Hubert Sacy. He attributes it to various factors, including the tendency to alternate between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, the increase in the supply of non-alcoholic drinks and, above all, an awareness in society.
There is more and more the realization that you don’t have to drink alcohol all the time.
Hubert Sacy, General Manager of Éduc’alcool
Obviously, he agrees, the pandemic has also had an impact on the alcohol consumption of part of the population. Quebecers said they had reduced their consumption because of the lack of social interactions. Others claim to have increased it on the contrary due to boredom and stress. “With the pandemic, you have 15% of people who have reduced their consumption, 15% who have increased it and 70% for whom it has not changed anything”, summarizes Hubert Sacy. The future will tell us if this decrease in excessive consumption will be sustained over time, he notes.
“Now, that does not prevent other people from exceeding them, the limits, underlines Hubert Sacy. We cannot say that life is good, that the sky is blue and that the birds are pink: we still have excessive consumers. 6% of women and 12% of men drink excessively at least once a week, the survey shows. “It’s infinitely healthier to drink one or two glasses a day, four to five days a week, than to abstain all week to drink sickly on Friday or Saturday evening,” he recalls.
According to the survey, 84% of Quebecers aged 15 and over consume alcohol, a figure “which has not flinched” for many years, indicates Mr. Sacy. Quebecers drink an average of 2.3 drinks per occasion and 4.5 drinks per week – stable data compared to 2017.
However, respondents who say they drink at least once a week are less numerous than five years ago (51% in 2021 compared to 62% in 2017).
The survey also shows awareness, particularly in terms of the risks and consequences of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Other results are directly linked to the pandemic, such as a decrease in consumption outside the home and in driving under the influence of alcohol.
The results of the CROP survey are based on 1,500 interviews conducted online from September 10 to 28, 2021. As part of the 2017 data was collected over the phone, the results have been “adjusted” to make the data comparable to 2021.