The number of people who died due to alcohol rose to “new highs” during the COVID-19 pandemic, Statistics Canada says in data released today.
Preliminary data from the federal agency shows that in 2019, before the pandemic, there were 3,200 alcohol-related deaths. A year later, the number of deaths rose to 3,790, and rose again in 2021, when there were 3,875 alcohol-related deaths.
The 18% increase from 2019 to 2020 was the largest year-over-year change in 20 years, Statistics Canada noted. Alcohol-related deaths are those attributed to one of the causes of death listed in the report, which include alcoholic liver disease, accidental poisoning and exposure to alcohol, and blood alcohol.
“These are big increases, mostly [because] these numbers tend to be relatively static,” said Dr. Timothy Naimi, director of the Canadian Institute for Research on Substance Use at the University of Victoria and a professor in the university’s School of Public Health and Social Policy .
“That said, it’s not surprising. We know that alcohol consumption has increased, although not to the degree that deaths have.”
He added that there has been a similar phenomenon with the increase in alcohol-related deaths in the US and Europe.
Kara Thompson, associate professor of psychology at the University of St. Francis Xavier of Antigonish, NS, says the death toll in Canada is troubling.
“They talk about the culture we’ve created where it’s acceptable to drink to cope with stress,” he said.
“I also think it speaks to the fact that people are not aware of the significant harm that can come from their alcohol consumption.”
LOOK | The link between alcohol and cancer:
Alcohol can cause cancer, so why don’t most Canadians know?
Alcohol is one of the top three causes of preventable cancer, so why aren’t Canadians being informed about the risks? Health experts say it’s time to put warning labels on alcohol, something the industry has rejected.
Younger populations affected
Younger generations accounted for the largest proportion of alcohol-related deaths recorded during the first two years of the pandemic.
Data from the federal agency shows that alcohol-related deaths increased in the under-65 age group from 2019 to 2020 by 27%, with 2,490 alcohol-related deaths recorded in 2020.
This is significantly higher than the four percent increase in alcohol-related deaths among those over 65 during the same time period.
Black balloons hang from a tree to remember people who died of overdoses in Manitoba. The show in 2022 was to commemorate International Black Globe Day. (Darin Morash/CBC)
The pandemic also saw an increase in deaths attributed to unintentional poisoning and exposure to harmful substances, especially among people under 45.
Accidental poisoning includes various illegal drugs, prescription and over-the-counter medications, as well as solvents and pesticides.
In 2020, 4,605 people died from accidental poisoning or exposure to harmful substances, with about 57 per cent of those who died under the age of 45, Statistics Canada reported. A year later, the number of deaths from accidental poisoning grew to 6,310, with 3,600 of these people under the age of 45.
By comparison, Statistics Canada said that at the previous peak of the overdose crisis in 2017, there were 4,830 deaths attributed to unintentional poisonings.
“I think what we’re seeing here is in line with what the data has been telling us at the provincial level,” Naimi added.
The data released Thursday is provisional, Statistics Canada said, as it does not include all deaths during that time and does not include information on deaths in the Yukon. The agency said it compiled its data from medical certificates filled out by a medical, forensic or forensic professional.
The health effects of alcohol are not understood
Thompson adds that we need to be more aware as a society of the damage alcohol does to our individual health.
Erin Hobin, a senior scientist at Public Health Ontario, echoed the sentiment, telling The Canadian Press that there is relatively low public awareness of the health impacts of alcohol, aside from the increased of the risk of birth defects for people who drink during pregnancy.
The Canadian Center on Substance Use and Addiction’s low-risk drinking guidelines, which correlate health risks with the number of drinks per week, will become official next week.
The proposed guidelines released last summer are significantly lower than previous proposals of no more than 10 standard drinks a week for women and 15 standard drinks a week for men. In general, he now recommends no more than two drinks a week.
In drafting its guideline, the center said research suggests the health risk of alcohol is negligible when two drinks are consumed per week, moderate between three and six drinks per week, and increasingly higher beyond