Will Canadians really accept two drinks a week?

In today’s Big Story podcast, a report released earlier this month by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and Addiction, and commissioned by Health Canada, recommends that Canadians limit their alcohol intake to two drinks per week. This is a significant reduction compared to previous advisories, and far below the recommended intake in countries like Britain or Australia.

Will the stingier guidelines be effective in a place like Canada, where drinking is so ingrained in the culture?

David Sweanor is the chairman of the advisory committee for the University of Ottawa’s Centre for Health Law, Policy and Ethics. He joins us to discuss Health Canada’s recommendations, and how to empower Canadians to make smarter decisions when it comes to drinking.

“If you give people a scary message, but you don’t give them clear, actionable steps about what they can do about it, they just cut you out,” he said.

When it comes to public health, how important is the messaging to actually achieving results? And are there lessons we can learn from recent crises that might help encourage Canadian’s to drink less, without alienating those who enjoy a few beers?

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You can also find it at thebigstorypodcast.ca.