Alcohol policy – Page 2 – Matters of Substance

Do you know the effects that having a glass of wine a night is having on your health? Or how your risk for certain diseases and cancers increases with every drink? If your answer is “no,” then you aren’t alone. Despite the fact that 78 percent of us drink, many Canadians aren’t aware of Canada’s Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines (LRDGs), let alone what the guidelines are (no more than two a day, 10 a week for women; three a day, 15 a week for men). This is why the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA), the Centre for Addictions Research of BC (CARBC) and the Canadian Vintners Association (CVA) explored the educational potential of social media by taking to Twitter this summer to promote the LRDGs.

Part of the reason there isn’t much awareness around the guidelines could be that they are relatively new. Published in 2011, the LRDGs were developed by the National Alcohol Strategy Advisory Committee using existing provincial drinking guidelines, such as those produced by CARBC, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and Éduc’alcool. The LRDGs provide men and women with drinking limits that can help to reduce alcohol-related harms like chronic illness and injury. Resources such as a brochure, a poster, and summaries on the relationship of alcohol and cancer, and the impact of alcohol on youth and women have all been developed to promote the guidelines, but the Twitter campaign marked the first time that a coordinated, multi-partner social-media strategy had been used to educate people.

Working together, CCSA, CARBC and the CVA planned and launched a month-long Twitter campaign that ran from mid-August to mid-September, featuring weekly themes, informative resources and a campaign hashtag (#CdnLRDG in English; #DCAFRcan in French). In addition to the above brochures and posters, some of the more lighthearted resources shared through the campaign included the Home Bartending Challenge and the How to Drink Properly video series. The late-summer time frame allowed for tweets related both to events where drinking commonly occurs, such as summer long weekends and frosh week, and to alcohol-related health promotion days, such as International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day. Online tools such as bitly link tracking, which allowed the group to see what resources got the most clicks, Hootsuite and Twitter analytics, Google Analytics, and Cision social media monitoring, helped the group measure success, and see what worked and what could be improved upon.

A sample of some of the #CdnLRDG tweets seen during the campaign.

Twitter provided an easy way to spread low-risk drinking messages and engage with respondents. By sharing and retweeting each other’s content, participants reached new audiences beyond their own Twitter followers. The #CdnLRDG campaign hashtag was used in every tweet, so anyone interested in the campaign could follow all conversations. Participants could also include other alcohol-related hashtags in their tweets, effectively “crashing the party” of other conversations — another great way to open up the conversation to more audiences.

Overall, the Twitter campaign increased website visits an average of 78% for the three organizations leading the campaign. However, in analyzing Twitter engagement, it was mostly healthcare organizations and workers retweeting content as opposed to the general public, who might have seen the tweets, but just not engaged in conversation. This isn’t surprising, since most of CCSA and CARBC’s followers are healthcare organizations. Extra efforts will be required to directly reach the general public in future campaigns. Yet the LRDG campaign highlights what educational goals can be accomplished with social media and great partnerships!

Authors: Tina Barton, Communications Advisor; Sheena Gereghty, PhD, Knowledge Broker
Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse

**Please note that the material presented here does not necessarily imply endorsement or agreement by individuals at the Centre for Addictions Research of BC.

The recent changes to pricing rules in alcohol-serving establishments across BC have been met by applause, discontentment, indifference — and confusion. In effect, two changes were announced: the fact that restaurants and bars can now have happy hour drink specials, allowing them to change the price of alcoholic drinks throughout the day, and the introduction of province-wide minimum drink prices, which apply at all times, not just during happy hour.

BC's new minimum prices for standard alcoholic drinks in booze-serving establishments. — BC’s new minimum prices for standard alcoholic drinks in booze-serving establishments.

Minimum unit pricing is not a new concept. All provinces, except Alberta and Quebec, have some type of minimum pricing policy. Even prior to these new changes, BC had minimum pricing policies in place in liquor stores, though prices were much lower than many other provinces. These new requirements will bring the rest of the province in line with municipalities such as Victoria, which have had minimum unit pricing policies and bylaws in bars and restaurants for quite some time to reduce violence and other late-night order problems.

While the new requirement to charge at least $3 per standard drink may cause prices to increase at some establishments, many British Columbians will likely not notice the implementation of the minimum unit pricing—and in some instances, happy-hour specials will make booze cheaper than it was before. I can’t remember a time when I paid less than $5 for a beer at an establishment; $3 sounds like a steal. But minimum pricing isn’t really about getting “a good deal;” this bold move by the BC government is a step towards reducing alcohol-related harms in our province.

Every year in BC, there are more than 80,000 alcohol-related crimes, 1,800 alcohol-related deaths, and 18,000 alcohol-related hospitalizations. While many of us enjoy alcohol without incident, these staggering numbers remind us of how many of our fellow British Columbians are negatively affected by alcohol use. The introduction of minimum prices could reduce these numbers.

There is strong evidence that minimum alcohol pricing avoids punishing the majority of responsible drinkers while having the greatest impact on the behaviour and health of those most at-risk. Using BC hospital data, a recent study published in the American Journal Public Health found that for every 10 percent increase in minimum prices there was an immediate 9 percent reduction in hospital admissions for injuries and poisonings ‒ and a similar reduction in serious illnesses caused by alcohol (such as liver cirrhosis and cancers) two to three years later. Similarly, we have found immediate and delayed effects from minimum price increases on alcohol-related deaths. Is $3 really such a steep cost for reducing harm?

The BC government has listened to the strong research evidence supporting minimum prices and has taken a step in the right direction by implementing these prices for bars, restaurants and other establishments that serve alcohol. It is refreshing to see decisions being made will protect British Columbians while also respecting that alcohol is an important part of our culture and economy. However, in order to fully realize the harm-reduction potential of minimum pricing policies and offset the potential impact of happy hours, government needs to follow through on updating and overhauling minimum pricing in liquor stores. According to our research, this will have a much larger impact on high-risk consumption and related harms.

Author: Kara Thompson, Centre for Addictions Research of BC

**Please note that the material presented here does not necessarily imply endorsement or agreement by individuals at the Centre for Addictions Research of BC

Tag: Alcohol policy

Will minimum prices work to minimize harm?