While some Quebecers say they don’t want to give up their glass of alcohol, others are considering changing their long-established drinking habits.
• Also read: Alcohol drinkers between shock and denial
The announcement released this week by the Canadian Center on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) aimed at reducing our weekly alcohol consumption is unnerving for many Quebecers for whom a glass of wine or a beer is a part of everyday life.
“On average I think Quebecers are good drinkers, whether at festivals, world beer fairs, spirits fairs, alcohol takes up a lot of space,” which would explain why many are shocked by this recommendation, says Pierre Le Saint, a 46-year-old – old former bartender.
According to test results released Tuesday by the CCSA, drinking alcohol in any quantity poses a health risk. This would help bust the myth of the daily glass of wine being good for the heart and goes against the weekly recommendations of Éduc’alcool.
one per day
Le Journal met with Montreal consumers and the response was mixed.
“I’ll keep having my little drink even if I don’t make it to 115 […] I am in good health,” says Dame Irène, 76, who she met while exiting an SAQ in Plateau Mont-Royal.
For Lucie Carignan, a Montrealer who she met at an SAQ branch in Ahuntsic, this announcement has prompted her to change her consumption.
“I’ve been wanting to cut down on my consumption during the week, but I think I’ll stop altogether. I only go out for drinks over dinner on the weekends,” she commented.
survey
With less than two weeks to go before the Jean Lapointe Foundation’s 28-Day Alcohol-Free Challenge, Louis-Raymond Maranda, the organization’s executive director, hopes this report will encourage more people to sign up.
“We are not here to moralize people. […]the goal is to think about your consumption,” he explains.
Despite the hype surrounding the report’s findings, these data are not surprising and ” [viennent] confirming what the foundation has known for years” about the dangers of alcohol.
The chairman of the board of the foundation emphasizes that clear warnings should be issued in this regard from now on.
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