For many of us, the new year brings with it intentions for change. We question ourselves about our habits, our desires, our needs and we set goals with the firm will to do things differently.
With our stressful, demanding lives, the desired change often brings us back to our health, to the importance of taking care of ourselves. Become aware, for example, of one’s relationship with alcohol. Think about the context and the reasons for consuming.
At Éduc’alcool, our commitment is to support you so that you can make informed choices given the effects that your alcohol consumption could have.
Quebecers are globally responsible with regard to alcohol
For more than 30 years, Éduc’alcool has been raising awareness and informing Quebecers about the impact of alcohol consumption. We have financed or distributed numerous scientific publications, in particular on the links between alcohol and the risk of cancer, between alcohol and pregnancy or between alcohol and the heart.
The sustained presence of Éduc’alcool over the years has produced results. Quebecers have a relationship with alcohol marked by moderation. Thus, Quebecers drink less than most Canadians.
According to Statistics Canada, in seven provinces out of ten, alcohol consumers buy more liters of alcohol than Quebecers. The data also indicates that fewer Quebecers are driving after drinking. In 2019, in Canada, approximately 204 people per 100,000 population had their driver’s license suspended for driving while intoxicated; it was 149 per 100,000 in Quebec, 443 per 100,000 in British Columbia.
In addition, Quebecers are more aware of the links between alcohol and cancer. As indicated by the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec, 83% of Quebecers know that consuming alcohol can cause certain cancers. Elsewhere in Canada and North America, about one in three people are aware of this relationship. Of course, Éduc’alcool didn’t do all the good work, but it certainly contributed.
A product like no other
Éduc’alcool does not set standards for low-risk drinking. However, these standards guide us in the development of our messages and are integrated into our campaigns.
During 2022, the Canadian Center on Substance Use and Addiction presented a project to update the standards. Éduc’alcool welcomed certain proposals such as the inscription on each bottle or can of the standard number of drinks it contains according to the alcohol level.
Then, we asked for details on the scientific basis of the new standards and mentioned, among other things, the importance of the recommendations being presented on a daily rather than weekly basis. The process continues.
It is in this perspective that Éduc’alcool will have to reformulate certain prevention and awareness messages in the coming months. Our reflection already touches on certain concerns.
We note, for example, that 25% to 30% of Quebec adults drink more than moderately; many drink out of habit, without asking themselves questions about the reasons or the circumstances that lead them to drink.
Éduc’alcool intends to continue to refocus its message in order to help Quebecers, especially young people, to become aware of their relationship with alcohol, from an educational, benevolent and overall health perspective.
Éduc’alcool is unique in Canada. Our organization receives no public funds; 100% of the financing comes from the industry or from the sale of alcohol according to an innovative model of self-regulation. And 85% of our funding goes directly to prevention and education initiatives.
In 2023, we will continue our mission to inform, equip and raise awareness among Quebecers regarding alcohol consumption with up-to-date messages, guided by science and based on individual and collective responsibility in the face of a product unlike any other. .