Press Release
The Northwestern Health Unit is shining a light on beverage consumption with the release of the report, “Alcohol in Our Communities: A Report on Alcohol Use in Northwestern Ontario.”
The report takes a look at the impacts and health harms of alcohol misuse in our region, shares feedback received from community members and local organizations, and makes recommendations for moving forward to address alcohol misuse in Northwestern Ontario.
“Compared to the rest of the province, the evidence show us that residents of Northwestern Ontario are less likely to follow the low-risk drinking guidelines, are more likely drink heavily, and are more likely to end up in the hospital because of alcohol misuse,” noted Dr. Kit Young-Hoon, medical officer of health for the Northwestern Health Unit.
In Ontario, alcohol consumption is the second-leading cause of death, disease, and disability.
It results in substantial health and social costs to individuals, families, communities, and society as a whole.
“Fortunately, there are things that we can do as individuals and as a community to promote drinking within healthy guidelines, and make drinking in moderation the new norm for our region,” said Dr. Young-Hoon.
“We look forward to working alongside agencies and municipalities to promote a culture of moderate alcohol consumption using tools like community education and policy development to create a supportive environment,” she noted.
The full report, and its supporting report focused on local alcohol statistics, are available at www.nwhu.on.ca
