Rethink Your Drinking is a campaign to help change the way we think about and use alcohol, while addressing the things that matter:
* size of the drink
* time between drinks
* alcohol’s link to chronic disease
* how alcohol affects men and women differently
* choices made when drinking.
To help people better understand the connection between alcohol consumption and health, the Renfrew County and District Health Unit is partnering with health units across Ontario to spread Rethink Your Drinking messages. This campaign and new website — www.rethinkyourdrinking.ca — offers information on standard drinks, time between drinks, the link between alcohol and chronic disease, how alcohol affects men and women differently, and helpful resources.
“Drinking is a personal choice,” says Raili Quathamer, Public Health Nurse. “We want those who choose to drink to rethink their drinking habits and make sure they don’t exceed Canada’s Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines.”
The Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines are designed to help Canadians aged 25-65 years make informed choices about their alcohol consumption, and to help create a culture of moderation.
Knowing how much alcohol you are actually drinking is key to reducing your risk. The amount of alcohol can vary from one alcoholic beverage to the next. A “standard drink” contains 13.6 grams of pure alcohol which is equal to 12 oz. of a 5 percent beer, 5 oz. of 12 percent wine or 1.5 oz. of 40 percent spirits. However, a typical glass of wine sometimes contains more than two standard drinks.
Alcohol consumption has been found to cause more than 200 different diseases and injuries. These include well-known outcomes such as liver cirrhosis or traffic crashes, along with several types of cancer such as female breast cancer.
The Renfrew County and District Health Unit encourages everyone who chooses to drink to “Rethink Your Drinking” during the holiday season and throughout the year.
To learn more about safer alcohol use, visit www.rethinkyourdrinking.ca or call the Renfrew County and District Health Unit at 613-735-8666 or 1-800-267-1097.
