 |
|
Did You Know? |
 |
- The social and economic cost of alcohol abuse in Canada in 2002 was $14.6 billion or $463 per person.
- Provincial governments rely on its most vulnerable and high-risk drinkers to pay its bills
- 10 per cent of the population consumes 53 per cent of the beer, spirits and wine sold in the province
- 20 per cent of the population consumes nearly 73 per cent of the total alcohol consumption
- Close to 30 per cent of males and 14 per cent of females report regularly drinking above risk guidelines
- About 5 per cent of drinkers meet diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence
- 37 per cent of the population who abuse alcohol has a mental illness
- About 15 per cent of children and youth experience one or more mental illnesses and/or substance use disorders at any point in time
- Alcohol is often associated with violent crime, including domestic abuse, child abuse, homicide and suicide
- Thirty per cent of all criminal activity is attributed to alcohol
- Nearly 25 per cent of people who are or have been drinkers indicate that drinking has caused harm to themselves or others in the past
- Every day, four Canadians are killed and 200 are seriously injured as a result of impaired driving
- Long-term alcohol abuse increases the risk of a number of cancers, including breast cancer, as well as liver and heart disease
- Prenatal abuse of alcohol is the leading cause of birth defects including fetal alcohol syndrome
- Consuming alcohol in combination with other drugs, including over-the-counter or prescription drugs, is dangerous and can lead to an overdose and even death
- Alcohol abuse is the leading cause of homelessness for persons with serious mental illness
- The average annual cost of homelessness is $55,000 per person
- In Canada, less than $1.75 per person is spent on addictions and mental health research
|
|
|
