Recently, the Canadian Center on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) revised its recommendations regarding alcohol consumption. This organization estimates that the risk of developing or worsening health problems remains low if you drink one or two drinks per week, then gradually increases to a high risk with 6 or more drinks per week. This contrasts with the previous recommendations: do not exceed 10 glasses per week for women and 15 glasses for men.
So, change of course, and not just a little! “If science tells us we have to go there, that’s what we have to do,” said the spokeswoman for the Public Health Association. But precisely, what is this “science”? Well, not very strong! It is based on what people report as alcohol consumption. It is obviously not possible to carry out a controlled study on this subject. Not only would it take a lot of time, but it wouldn’t be accepted by any ethics committee.
Therefore, we are taken with what people say. But humans tend to paint a portrait of themselves that is more flattering than real. For example, in surveys, people overestimate their height and underestimate their weight. These data can however be verified for the purposes of serious studies.
If the amount of alcohol reported is lower than the actual harmful effects will appear at a lower level. As people generally know the recommendations, some will want to conform to them in their answers, which will introduce a bias at the base of the sought correlation.
This does not mean that one can drink without restriction: the dangers of drinking to the point of drunkenness are well known. However, data on the dangerousness of moderate alcohol use should be taken with a grain of salt (around a glass of margarita, for example).
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