Alcohol
Alcohol is a drug. It’s found in beer, wine and spirits, and acts as a depressant that slows down the central nervous system. The individual effects of alcohol are dependent upon gender, body weight, whether you’ve eaten and how much you drink.
On this page
Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health 2023
Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health provides evidence-based advice on alcohol to support people in making informed decisions about their health. The guidance is based on the latest research on alcohol-related risks and replaces Canada’s Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines (LRDGs) issued in 2011.
Binge Drinking
Researchers define binge drinking as having many drinks on one occasion: five or more drinks for a male, or four or more drinks for a female.
- When consuming that much alcohol, it puts you at greater risk for risky choices, harmful behaviours and dangerous circumstances including:
- Misjudging a situation or what is being said.
- Getting into a fight (verbal or physical).
- Having blackouts (a period of amnesia where person is alert and can walk and talk, but the brain doesn’t form new memories of events that happened).
- Getting sick or injured
Alcohol Use and Harms in Haldimand and Norfolk Counties
The HNHU released a report called “Alcohol Use and Harms in Haldimand and Norfolk Counties” on February 6th, 2018. The report blends local data on alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harms with personal stories collected from the “Alcohol Use in Our Community” survey the HNHU conducted in 2016.
Drinking and Driving
Whenever you drive, whether it is a car, truck, boat, bike, or ATV, you rely on your brain for vision, coordination, and quick response to sudden changes in your surroundings. Alcohol and other drugs, starting at very small quantities, impair drivers’ abilities, increasing the chance of potentially fatal crashes.
Check your Drinking
Have you ever wondered how your drinking compares to others, how much money you spend, how many calories you consume, or what life might look like if you changed your drinking patterns? Take the anonymous quiz – you might be surprised.
Alcohol Poisoning
Alcohol poisoning is a serious — and sometimes deadly — result of drinking large amounts of alcohol in a short period of time.
Parental Resources
Educating your kids about alcohol and other drugs isn’t always easy. As children grow and develop, so do their social and environmental influences, increasing their chances of drug use.
Pregnancy and Alcohol
Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause a combination of physical and mental birth defects. The term Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is used to describe this range of effects. There is no safe time or amount to drink alcohol during pregnancy. It is safest not to drink any alcohol at all and to stop drinking before you get pregnant.
Sandy’s Law
An Act to amend the Liquor Licence Act by requiring signage cautioning pregnant women that the consumption of alcohol while pregnant is the cause of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
Tips for Safer Drinking
When you enjoy alcohol, it can be easy to get into a routine of drinking too much, too often or in risky environments. Here are some simple things you can do to reduce your risk of harm from alcohol.