Alcohol

Moderate use of alcohol is not harmful for some people, but excessive drinking can lead to a range of health and social problems. In 2000, over 1,100 deaths were attributed to alcohol-related liver diseases, mostly cirrhosis of the liver.

As well, a number of motor vehicle crashes involve impaired drivers. Approximately 1,350 people die each year in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes, accounting for 32% of all driver fatalities. In 2002, police laid 90 charges of impaired operation of a motor vehicle causing death and 904 charges of impaired operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm.

According to the National Population Health Survey of 1998/99, 55% of all Canadians aged 12 or older drank alcohol at least once a month. Women were more likely to be non-drinkers than men. For both sexes, the higher the level of education, the more likely they were to be drinkers.