Alcohol

Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health recommends that people consider reducing their alcohol use.

Drinking less is better for everyone. Any reduction in alcohol use has benefits.

There is a continuum of risk for drinking where the risk of harm is:

• 0 drinks per week: Not drinking has benefits, such as better health and better sleep.
• 1 to 2 standard drinks per week: You are likely to avoid alcohol-related consequences for yourself or others at this amount.
• 3 to 6 standard drinks per week: Your risk of developing several types of cancer, including breast and colon cancer increases at this amount.
• 7 or more standard drinks per week: Your risk of heart disease or stroke increases at this amount. Each additional standard drink radically increases the risk of alcohol-related consequences.

Drinking more than two standard drinks per drinking occasion can increase risk of harms to self and others, including injuries and violence. Some key items to remember about alcohol use include:

• There is no known safe amount of alcohol use when pregnant or trying to get pregnant.
• When breastfeeding, not drinking alcohol is safest.
• The health risks increase more steeply for women than for men when consuming above moderate levels of alcohol.
• Young people should delay alcohol use for as long as possible.
• Individuals should not start to use alcohol or increase their alcohol use for health benefits.

For more information, please visit Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health.

If you drink, any reduction in drinking is beneficial to health.

Research shows that no amount or kind of alcohol is good for your health. Drinking alcohol, even a small amount, is damaging to everyone, regardless of age, sex, gender, ethnicity, tolerance for alcohol or lifestyle. Drinking less benefits you and others. It reduces your risk of injury and violence, and many health problems that can shorten life.

Here are some tips for safer drinking and reducing your alcohol use include: 

• Set limits for yourself and stick to them.
• Drink slowly. Have no more than two drinks in three hours.
• Drink lots of water.
• For every alcoholic drink, have a non-alcoholic drink.
• Choose alcohol-free or low-alcohol beverages.
• Eat before and while you are drinking.
• Have alcohol free weeks or do alcohol-free activities.

Reference: Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health | Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction.

There are many reasons why youth may start to use alcohol and other substances including pressure from friends, curiosity, stress and easy access to alcohol. Additionally, youth may see family members drink alcohol and imitate that behaviour.

Whether you are a parent, guardian or teacher, starting a discussion with your kids about alcohol use may not be easy but having a conversation early is important so that youth can get the real facts.

Parents and Caregivers play an important role

The adolescent period is a time of critical growth and development making youth more susceptible to the effects of alcohol.

As a parent, guardian and/or caregiver, you can help prevent or delay your child’s use of alcohol.

Why prevent or delay alcohol and other drug use?

Your child’s brain is developing into their mid-twenties, and alcohol and other drug use can negatively affect this development.

Possible risks associated with alcohol and other drug use for youth include:

• Problems at school and making good decisions.
• Memory problems.
• Difficulty dealing with emotions. 
• Mental health problems.
• Dependance/addiction.
• Injuries.
• Trouble with the law.

Strategies for preventing or delaying alcohol and other drug use

Start the conversation early and talk often. Be in the know, know the facts. Find a comfortable setting:

• Know what’s going on in your child’s life.
• Develop open and regular communication.
• Set expectations and consequences together.
• Be a positive role model.
• Build a close and caring relationship.
• Don’t provide alcohol or other drugs.

Have effective conversations about substance use with your kids

There are a number of things you can do in order to have an effective conversation with your child regarding substance use, including:

Take time to learn the facts about the underage age use of substances they may hear about every day like cannabis, alcohol, and nicotine – as well as the non-medical use of medications and illegal drugs. Then have ongoing conversations with your child, (that are appropriate to their age) about the risks to their physical and mental health.

Establish guidelines for substance use in your family. Let your younger children and teens know that drug and alcohol use is not accepted and explain why. Your rules are there to keep them healthy and safe. Set limits with clear consequences for breaking the rules. Older teens and young adults may already be using substances. Make sure they are aware of safe practices to reduce the harm that substances can cause.

Establish a “core values statement” for your family. Consider developing a family mission statement that reflects your family’s core values. This might be discussed and created during a family meeting or over a weekend meal together. Talking about what they stand for is particularly important at a time when teens are pressured daily by external influencers on issues like drugs, sex, violence, or vandalism.

Other tips include:

• Praise and reward good behaviour for compliance and enforce consequences for non-compliance.
• Talk with your pre-teen or teen. While shopping or riding in the car, casually ask them how things are going at school, about their friends, what their plans are for the weekend, etc.
• Don’t always focus on the negative outcomes of drug use. Try and encourage more healthy behaviours and talk about the positive possibilities of having a variety of choices and opportunities when they’re older.
• Encourage their participation in doing the things they love. Engage your teen in creative after-school activities. Encourage their participation in supervised educational programs or a sports league.
• Check-in with your teenager. Occasionally check-in to see how they are doing, emotionally and mentally. Help them feel safe by actively listening to what they are saying.
• Get to know your teen’s friends and their parents. Invite them over for dinner or talk with them at your teen’s soccer practice, dance rehearsal or other activities.
• Stay in touch with the trusted adults your child knows (camp counsellors, coaches, employers, teachers). That will make it easier to ask and have them inform you if they’ve noticed any changes in your teen’s behaviour.
• Spend time together as a family regularly and be involved in the lives of your children. Create a bond with your child. This builds up connection and trust between you and your child so that when you have to set limits or enforce consequences, it’s less stressful.
• Remind your child that you will always support them, no matter what.

Party Safety

You may not be able to stop your teen from alcohol and drug use, especially at parties, however you can provide them with information to keep them safe. You can be clear with your teen about what you think and why. Teens are not adults, you set the rules. Some rules may be negotiable and others non-negotiable.

Make sure the consequences of a broken rule are consequences you are willing to follow through with.

Revise the rules as your teen matures. Ask your teen to make a "party safety plan". This plan could include always having ride share app, having a friend watch their drink (to make sure no one adds anything), setting limits on drinking and other strategies you and your teen come up with together.

References: https://www.drugfreekidscanada.org/talk/tips-for-parents/ and https://www.rethinkyourdrinking.ca/parents/. 

When talking with youth about alcohol, it is important to:

• Understand alcohol from a youth’s point of view. Youth understand alcohol-use differently based on their developmental stage.
• Role play Practice and provide options on how to refuse alcohol products to help youth prepare for situations involving alcohol with their peers.
• Equip youth with the information, skills and motivation they need to make informed and healthy choices.

Curriculum, classroom and community resources

For more information and for important elementary and secondary school curriculum supports and resources for the classroom, download:

• Elementary Schools Curriculum Health Resources
• Secondary Schools Curriculum Health Resources
• Healthy Schools Sample Action Plan Activities (SAPA)
• Healthy Schools Student Club: Substance Use and Harm Reduction Activity Guide 2024-2025

You can also contact the York Region Public Health Substance Use program at: @email