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Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique logoLink to Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique
. 1999 Jul 1;90(4):272–276. doi: 10.1007/BF03404130

Do Ontarians Drink in Moderation? A Baseline Assessment Against Canadian Low Risk Drinking Guidelines

Susan J Bondy 112,212,312,✉, Mary Jane Ashley 112,212, Jürgen T Rehm 112,212,412,512, Gordon Walsh 112,612
PMCID: PMC6979846  PMID: 10489726

Abstract

We used the 1997 Ontario Drug Monitor, a population-based, random-digit dialling survey of 2,776 adults, to obtain a baseline assessment of alcohol drinking by Ontarians against the 1997 low-risk drinking guidelines of the Addiction Research Foundation and the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse. Average weekly alcohol consumption and the frequency of exceeding the daily limit, estimated using the graduated frequency scale, were determined for the population overall, and by sex and age group (18–44 and 45+ years). Most Ontarians drank alcohol in a pattern associated with a low risk of health consequences. About 10% of women and 25% of men drank in a style associated with some increase in acute or long-term risk. Younger men were most likely to drink in a risky pattern. Most drinkers of middle age or older, for whom cardiovascular disease is a significant health risk, consumed alcohol in a pattern associated with cardiovascular benefit.

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