Low-risk drinking: Perceptions and practices

Objective: This presentation will provide a brief overview of health-oriented low-risk drinking guidelines (LRDG) and popular drinking advice for social occasions. These health and socially oriented guidelines will be compared to perceptions of low-risk drinking levels and actual drinking levels among general populations of Canadians, Americans and Australians. Methods: This presentation draws on existing research and survey data from Canada, the U.S. and Australia. The focus is on recent information and perceptions of LRDGs and social drinking indicators across these three regions. Results: Extensive epidemiological research indicating the associations between drinking pattern and risk for chronic disease and trauma as well as potential health benefits from drinking small amounts regularly is one resource for government or medically-sanctioned LRDGs in many jurisdictions. In contrast, information is available from the hospitality industry, alcohol retailers and liquor control boards. While some overlap exists between these two sources of information, in some contexts normative recommendations support drinking at potentially dangerous levels. Survey data indicate that there is little knowledge of what constitutes low-risk drinking and a substantial portion of individuals continue to drink above the LRDGs. Conclusions: The inconsistency among the different types of guidelines sends a confusing public health message. This highlights one of the challenges of conveying health information on a drug that is integrated into social life and used extensively. It also reflects a siloed approach to alcohol policy – where retailing and harm reduction practices are managed by different sectors of government that seldom reflect a coordinated response.