Alcohol

Many people turn to alcohol to deal with stress in their life. Statistics from 2021 reveal that 66% of Canadians aged 15 or older report consuming moderate amounts of alcohol at least once in the previous 30 days, i.e. one or two drinks.^[1] In 2017, 11% of Canadians reported having had 5 or more drinks on the days they consumed alcohol.^[2] By contrast, since the pandemic, this proportion increased to 18% according to 2021 statistics.^[3] This is a significant rise, and is evidenced by a 2020 study on Canadians mental health and cannabis, alcohol and tobacco use that illustrated that 41% of those that described themselves as “very” or “extremely” stressed during the pandemic increased their substance use.^[4]

The data showed that risky use is more prevalent among young adults aged 18-24.^[5] In fact, in a National College Health Assessment Spring 2016 survey of post-secondary students in Canada, 69.3% reported any use of alcohol in the past 30 days, and 35% reported having five or more drinks of alcohol at a sitting over the last two weeks.^[6]

Whether you knock back a few cold ones every day after work or occasionally overdo it on the weekend, alcohol wreaks havoc on your overall health and wellbeing. Researchers have found that alcohol takes a psychological and physiological toll on the body and may actually compound the effects of stress.^[7] When used in excess, which most sources say means more than 8 drinks a week or one drink a day, people can experience a variety of alcohol use disorders, such as infectious diseases, cancer, diabetes, neuropsychiatric diseases, cardiovascular disease, liver and pancreas disease, and unintentional and intentional injury.^[8] This is a large number of preventable disorders directly related to the use of alcohol!

In January 2023, the Canadian Centre On Substance Abuse updated their Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health to reflect their change in recommendations that they had in place since 2011. Previous recommended limits on alcohol were 10 drinks per week for women, and 15 drinks per week for men.^[9] The new guidelines state that an individual will likely avoid alcohol-related consequences with 1-2 drinks per week, and anything above that will increase risk of health consequences such as cancer, heart attacks and strokes.

Alcohol is classified as a depressant, even though the first few drinks of alcohol tend to induce relaxation, or a feeling of ‘loosening up’. It does this by causing our bodies to create an increased amount of serotonin and endorphins (feel-good chemicals).^[10] This is the experience that people crave, especially when they feel stress and depressed; however, alcohol is a tricky substance as it can exacerbate anxiety and depression. Alcohol shifts our hormonal balance by causing higher amounts of cortisol to be released, thus changing the way the body perceives and responds to stress.^[11] Cortisol impacts the brain’s reward or pleasure systems, causing people to consume more and more alcohol over time to achieve the same effects.^[12]

Alcohol consumption, whether used chronically or acute binge drinking, weakens and depresses the immune system by contributing to an altered gut microbiota, setting the stage for increased inflammation.^[13] In addition, alcohol has been found to suppress production of immunity cells such as B-cells and T-cells, as well as impair function of immunoglobulins in our saliva and gut,^[14] diminishing the body’s ability to fight off viruses and bacteria. In addition, alcohol damages the epithelial cells lining the intestines, further undermining the immune cells action of keeping harmful substances from being absorbed into the bloodstream.^[15] We know that one of the liver’s many functions is to detoxify poisons for our body. When our liver is inflamed, it cannot effectively cleanse our body of environmental toxins.

Many people have risk factors that can cause them to use alcohol in a negative manner. People who do not handle stress well, who are impulsive, who tend towards negative emotions, those with mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, those with a history of family alcoholism, and people who experienced childhood abuse or neglect have a higher potential for developing an alcohol use disorder.^[16]

Another resource from the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction is “Knowing your Limits with Alcohol: A Practical Guide to Assessing your Drinking”