How many drinks did you have last week? None, say most Canadians

How galore alcoholic drinks do you person successful a week? That mobility was posed to Canadians successful a study and astir of them said they had nary drinks astatine all, a caller Statistics Canada study shows.

In 2023, much than three-quarters (77 per cent) of adults surviving successful Canada’s provinces reported drinking astatine slightest 1 alcoholic beverage successful nan past 12 months. To amended understand regular drinking behaviour, nan 2023 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) asked astir intoxicant usage successful nan past 7 days.

Over half (54 per cent) of group aged 18 and complete reported not drinking immoderate intoxicant astatine each during nan past week, while 15 per cent reported drinking only 1 to 2 drinks successful nan 7 days. The study said 15 per cent of respondents said they had betwixt 3 and six drinks and different 15 per cent had 7 drinks aliases much successful nan past 7 days.

While nan findings are akin to findings successful 2015-2016, erstwhile 53 per cent respondents said they had not had immoderate intoxicant successful nan past week, nan 2023 information comes aft years of nan COVID-19 pandemic that saw increases successful drinking among galore Canadians.

However, nan numbers look different for men and women.

Nearly doubly arsenic galore men (20 per cent) arsenic women (11 per cent) said they had 7 aliases much drinks successful a week, which is nan level of intoxicant depletion linked to nan highest consequence of alcohol-related harms.

The number of men and women having 3 to six drinks a week (16 per cent for men, 15 per cent for women) was astir nan same, arsenic was nan number of men and women drinking 1 to 2 drinks successful a week (15 per cent for men and 16 per cent for women).

Women had a higher complaint of abstinence, pinch 59 per cent saying they had nary intoxicant successful nan week, compared pinch 49 per cent of men.

The study besides shows that younger group are drinking little than different property groups. The study said 67 per cent of group betwixt nan ages of 18 and 22 said they drank nary alcohol, compared pinch each different property groups, for which nan proportionality ranged betwixt 51 and 57 per cent.

A little proportionality of those aged 18 to 22 reported drinking 7 aliases much alcoholic drinks successful nan past 7 days (eight per cent) compared pinch those successful nan different property groups, wherever proportions ranged from 14 per cent to 17 per cent.

Quebec had nan highest proportionality (18 per cent) of group who said they’d had 7 aliases much drinks successful nan past week, compared pinch nan nationalist mean of 15 per cent.

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Quebec besides had a little proportionality (47 per cent) of group who said they had not had immoderate drinks successful nan past week.

The proportionality of group who had 7 aliases much drinks was besides higher successful agrarian areas (19 per cent), compared pinch group surviving successful municipality areas (14 per cent). People successful municipality areas had a higher proportionality of group (56 per cent) who had nary drinks successful nan week, compared pinch 59 per cent for agrarian areas.

While nan study did not spell into causes, it linked higher salaries to higher intoxicant consumption. The study said doubly arsenic galore group successful nan highest income family bracket (22 per cent) drank 7 aliases much drinks successful nan week compared pinch lowest income households (11 per cent).

Among those successful nan lowest family income bracket, 67 per cent reported not drinking immoderate intoxicant successful nan past 7 days, which was higher than those successful nan highest income quintile, wherever 41 per cent reported not drinking immoderate alcohol.

People moving successful nan trades (23 per cent) and group moving successful nan arts (22 per cent) reported drinking 7 aliases much drinks astatine higher levels than nan nationalist average.

A Statistics Canada report successful March showed that Canadians are skipping intoxicant successful favour of cannabis.

Recreational cannabis income by provincial authorities accrued by 15.8 per cent twelvemonth complete year. Canadians spent a full of $4.7 cardinal successful nan 2022-23 fiscal year, according to Statistics Canada, which is simply a $0.6-billion jump from nan erstwhile year.

A Statistics Canada breakdown says that useful retired to each Canadian of ineligible property spending $150 per twelvemonth connected nan products, a number that has been steadily expanding since recreational cannabis was legalized successful 2018.

Meanwhile, nan measurement of intoxicant income has declined for nan 2nd consecutive year. According to Statistics Canada, intoxicant income based connected measurement fell by 1.1 per cent, aliases 3,106 cardinal litres, successful 2022-23.