Alcohol-related problems and effective policies in the Canadian context: Improving the match between population level damage and societal response

Is there a match between the scope, type and level of damage from alcohol in Canada, and evidence-based interventions and policies to control this damage? To answer this question, this presentation will consider: recent studies of alcohol-related mortality and morbidity in Canada and findings from several national surveys; international evaluations that identify effective prevention and policy responses; and scans of provincial and national policies and prevention strategies focusing on alcohol-related trauma and chronic problems. Drinking patterns and overall consumption are associated with social problems, damage and mortality among Canadians. The net mortality (after ‘substracting' deaths prevented by moderate consumption) is estimated at 4,010, with 144,143 years of life lost prematurely in 2001. The estimated direct and indirect cost was $14.55 billion in 2002. A 2004 national survey found that 23% of current drinkers surpassed the low-risk drinking guidelines, 17% were considered to be drinking hazardously, and in the past year up to 22% of all respondents report harm or social disruption due to drinking by others. Effective policies and interventions are evident for some contexts, e.g. drinking and driving, brief interventions, but some effective interventions have only limited applications. However, population-level interventions are needed for alcohol-related cancers and other chronic diseases, some types of trauma, and social problems. Archival and survey data show an increase in overall consumption and high risk drinking; future initiatives need to place more attention to most effective policies, the full range of alcohol-related problems and high risk populations in all age groups.