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For the fourth year in a row, the Canadian per capita consumption of alcohol has fallen, hitting a 20-year low of an average of 6.8 litres of alcohol per person according to newly released Statistics Canada data for 2024-25. That’s a drop of 1.5 litres from a peak of 8.3 litres of alcohol consumed per person, back at the start of the pandemic in 2020.
Alcohol historian and Carleton University professor Rod Phillips believes there are several factors influencing Canadians to hit the bottle much more infrequently.
“Drinking has declined among younger cohorts in particular, and studies suggest that one reason is an acceptance that alcohol is unhealthy,” said Phillips. “There’s a vigorous debate about how much is unhealthy, but it’s fair to say that there are no health benefits from drinking alcohol. To this extent, abstaining is the healthiest option, and that message seems to have taken hold among younger age-groups more than older drinkers.”
In 2023, the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) released a study and guidance report that found no amount of alcohol is completely safe for health. The buzzkill report found that even three to six drinks per week presented a moderate health risk and increased cancer risk (especially breast and colon cancers).
“Health is not just a matter of the cancers and cardiac diseases linked to alcohol consumption, but also a sense of wellbeing—avoiding hangovers and the feeling of tiredness that often follow drinking,” Phillips added.
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The alcohol historian has also noticed a cultural shift where many gatherings no longer include tippling, but instead more and more teetotaler attendees.
“I think a non-alcoholic culture has developed. Many people no longer think of alcohol as a precondition of socializing and having fun,” Phillips told The Hub. “Look at the early morning dance parties, without any alcohol, becoming popular in Europe.”
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Phillips believes another explanation for reduced alcohol consumption is affordability.
“People are spending less on alcohol and treating it as an unnecessary expense within the universe of commodities and services competing for purchase. At the same time, sales of non-alcoholic beverages are robust and growing…” he added.
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