Alcohol indicators report 2011

In addition, alcohol has a negative effect on the Nova Scotia economy causing increased spending on health care and the justice system, and lost productivity that surpasses the amount collected through alcohol-related revenue and taxation, as will be discussed in the section titled “Benefits and Costs of Alcohol.” In 2004, harmful alcohol use was identified by the Government of Nova Scotia as an i [...] The 2007 Alcohol Strategy, Changing the Culture of Alcohol Use in Nova Scotia, provides the direction for priority planning and implementation of initiatives to prevent and reduce alcohol-related acute and chronic health, social, and economic harms, and related costs in the province.3 Using the framework established for provincial monitoring in the 2005 Alcohol Indicators Report, the 2010 Alcohol [...] For example, a 4.3 per cent increase in per capita consumption was noted for 2006 in BC when U-Vin and U-Brew sales were included and more accurate estimates of alcohol strength in wine and coolers sold in BC were used in calculations.7 The revised per capita estimate for BC was 8.76 litres of pure alcohol compared to the Statistics Canada estimate of 8.4 litres. [...] In view of the steady increase in per capita sales previously noted, as well as the decrease in the proportion of Nova Scotians who consumed alcohol in the past year, these results are likely lower estimates of true alcohol patterns in Nova Scotia and Canada. [...] In 2007–2008, 38.9 per cent of males and 17.5 per cent of females engaged in heavy monthly drinking, and 17.9 per cent of males and 7.0 per cent of females engaged in heavy weekly drinking.