To Your Health: Less Is Best: New Report
PRINCE GEORGE – B.C.’s provincial health officer wants tougher alcohol policies after a new report showed that people in the province still drink more than the national average, even though overall drinking is at its lowest in 20 years.
The report, Living Well, Drinking Less: Reducing Alcohol-related Harms in B.C., found that people in the province drank an average of 8.8 standard drinks per week in 2023. This is higher than the Canadian average of 8.2. Health guidelines suggest having no more than one or two drinks per week to lower health risks.
Older men in B.C. drink the most, averaging 15 drinks per week. They also have the highest rates of hospital visits and deaths linked to alcohol. The Interior, Northern, and Island Health regions have the highest drinking levels.
