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Alcohol Content

Why does alcohol content matter?

If you’re trying to keep your drinking less risky, knowing how much alcohol is in each drink is a big help. Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health shows the number of standard drinks per week that can raise your risk for health problems, but what exactly is a standard drink?

What counts as a standard drink?

In Canada, a standard drink is:

  • Beer: 341 mL (12 oz) bottle at 5% alcohol

  • Spirits (vodka, rum, whiskey, gin): 43 mL (1.5 oz) shot at 40% alcohol

  • Wine: 142 mL (5 oz) glass at 12% alcohol

How many standard drinks can raise my health risk?

Risks from alcohol use increase with the amount you drink:

  • Low risk: Two or fewer standard drinks per week

  • Moderate risk: Three to six standard drinks per week

  • High risk: More than seven standard drinks per week

By drinking less, you can lower your chances of health issues like liver disease, high blood pressure, and certain cancers. Visit our webpage on the health risks of alcohol

What is binge drinking?

Binge drinking usually means having several drinks in a short period. Here’s how it’s defined:

  • Four or more standard drinks in one sitting for women

  • Five or more standard drinks in one sitting for men

Binge drinking can increase the risk of crashes, injuries, violence and long-term health issues like heart disease and inflammation. Regular binge drinking can also increase your risk of developing a dependence on alcohol. Heavy drinking is defined as five or more drinks on single occasion at least once a month.

How can alcohol labelling help you make informed choices?

There are different types of labels that can be put on alcohol products such as:

  • Health warnings regarding the risk of alcohol consumption
  • Standard drink information
  • Guidance for lower risk alcohol use
  • Nutritional information

Many people don’t know what a “standard drink” is and often think it’s more than it actually is. In Canada, alcohol labels show the percentage of alcohol in a drink (%ABV), but this doesn’t really help people understand how much they are actually drinking, for example a tall boy of beer is usually more than one standard drink. Less than half of people in Ontario recognize that alcohol causes cancer. Showing standard drink information on labels would help people see how much they’re drinking, understand their risk level based on Canada’s new alcohol guidelines and become aware of the health risks associated with drinking. The majority of those in Ontario support applying alcohol labels.

Additional resources on alcohol content:

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