Canadians Have Higher Rates of Problem Drinking Than Americans

Canadians rank high globally for alcohol problems, according to newly released data from the Global Drug Survey 2017. Both Canadian men and women scored above average compared to the rest of the world on a scale indicating problematic drinking and the possibility of alcohol dependence.

This conclusion comes from the responses of 5,331 people in Canada who answered questions about their drinking habits. The Global Drug Survey is an annual effort to map drug use and drinking patterns in countries across the globe and is the largest survey of its kind in existence. It relies on people self-reporting their substance intake at their own convenience; over 100,000 people in more than 50 countries took the survey for this year.

Questions from the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) via the World Health Organisation (WHO) were used for the alcohol section of the survey. These include inquiries about how often people drink and how many drinks individuals typically have during a drinking session.

About 30 percent of Canadian men who took this section were found to have a "high level of alcohol problems" compared to 25 percent of men globally, whereas 27 percent of Canadian women were, compared to a 21 percent of women globally. These numbers also indicate that Canadians have more issues with high levels of alcohol problems than their American counterparts. Only about 17 percent of both American men and women surveyed were found to have a high level of drinking problems.

A number of Canadians who took the survey expressed wanting to change their drinking habits. About 39 percent said they would like to drink less—and 13 percent of these respondents want help drinking less.

For those that ranked higher on the scale for drinking habits, indicating a possibility of alcohol dependence, Canadians also outnumber Americans proportionally.

However, Canadians' drinking habits still rank behind numerous European countries. The top countries ranked in order for problem drinking include Denmark (where 50 percent of men and 40 percent of women surveyed scored a high level), Ireland, and the Netherlands.

To find out more about how your own drinking habits measure up anonymously, you can use The Global Drug Survey's drinksmeter.com to get unbiased feedback.

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