Alcohol Use and Health Risk

Key Messages
Current Prevalence
By Sex
By Age Group
By Education and Income
Technical Notes

Key messages

• More than one-third of Simcoe Muskoka adults (19+) report drinking at either a moderate risk level or at the highest risk level for alcohol-related health consequences in the previous week. This was significantly higher than the comparable provincial average.
• Simcoe Muskoka adult (19+) males have double the rate of drinking at the highest risk level when compared with females.
• Drinking alcohol at the highest risk level is highest among those with the highest household income and lowest among those with the lowest income. This pattern is the opposite of what is observed for alcohol-related harms.

Current Prevalence

According to the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) in 2019/20, 49% (44.1%, 54.3%) of Simcoe Muskoka adults ages 19 years and older reported not drinking any alcohol in the previous week, which is considered no risk for alcohol-related health consequences. Another 16% (12.8%, 19.7%) drank one or two alcoholic drinks in the previous week, which is considered low risk for alcohol-related health consequences.

Fifteen per cent (12.5%, 18.1%) drank between three and six alcoholic drinks in the previous week, which is considered moderate risk for alcohol-related health consequences and 20% (17.0%, 22.8%) drank at the highest risk level (seven or more drinks). The prevalence of drinking at the highest risk level among Simcoe Muskoka adults (19+) was significantly higher than the comparable provincial average (15% (14.2%, 15.5%)).

Since there were no significant changes in the prevalence of alcohol consumption between 2015 and 2020, the estimates by sub-population presented below are based on the six years of combined data to increase statistical precision.

By Sex

From 2015 to 2020, the prevalence of drinking alcohol at the highest risk level for alcohol-related health consequences was twice as high among Simcoe Muskoka adult (19+) males when compared with females: 31% (27.1%, 34.3%) vs. 14% (12.0%, 16.8%). Whereas the prevalence of not drinking any alcohol in the past week (i.e., no risk) is significantly higher among females when compared with males: 53% (49.6%, 56.0%) vs. 38% (35.1%, 41.7%).

By Age Group

From 2015 to 2020, the prevalence of not drinking any alcohol in the past week (i.e., no risk) is highest among older adults (65+) at 52% (48.1%, 55.0%) when compared with either adults 19 to 44 years (45% (39.9%, 49.3%)) or adults 45 to 64 years (43% (39.4%, 47.3%)). No other significant differences in reported alcohol consumption by health risk level were observed by age group.

By Education and Income

From 2015 to 2020, the prevalence of not drinking any alcohol in the past week (i.e., no risk) is highest among adults (25-64) with a high school education or less at 52% (47.0%, 57.9%), when compared with those with a certificate or diploma (39% (34.9%, 42.5%)) or those with a degree or higher (37% (30.5%, 43.1%)). Moderate risk drinking (between 3 and 6 drinks in the previous week) increased significantly with higher levels of education; however, no significant differences were observed in drinking at the highest risk level (7 or more drinks in the previous week) by education.

Technical Notes

In January 2023, Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health was released. This new guidance replaces the previously used Canadian Low Risk Drinking Guidelines (LRDG) and are based on the latest research on alcohol-related risks.

The guidance is based on the principle of autonomy in harm reduction and the fundamental idea behind it that people living in Canada have a right to know that all alcohol use comes with risk.

Key points from the guidance include:

• There is a continuum of risk associated with weekly alcohol use where the risk of harm is:
  • No risk: 0 drinks per week — Not drinking has benefits, such as better health, and better sleep.
  • Low risk: 2 standard drinks or less per week — You are likely to avoid alcohol-related consequences for yourself or others at this level.
  • Moderate risk: 3–6 standard drinks per week — Your risk of developing several types of cancer, including breast and colon cancer, increases at this level.
  • Increasingly high risk: 7 standard drinks or more per week — Your risk of heart disease or stroke increases significantly at this level.
• Beyond 7 or more drinks, each additional standard drink radically increases the risk of alcohol-related consequences.
• Consuming more than 2 standard drinks per occasion is associated with an increased risk of harms to self and others, including injuries and violence.
• When pregnant or trying to get pregnant, there is no known safe amount of alcohol use.
• When breastfeeding, not drinking alcohol is safest.
• No matter where you are on the continuum, for your health, less alcohol is better.

Page last updated March 10, 2023