A new survey shows we started drinking more alcohol during the pandemic — and that habit hasn’t changed much
Many people are starting 2026 by marking Dry January and vowing to give up alcohol in the first month of the year. But new research is raising concerns about how much alcohol Canadians are drinking.
The Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) says in a new report that overall alcohol consumption has declined over the long term, but also notes that adults who consume alcohol are drinking in greater quantities — more than before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
however CAMH report released on Monday Turns out, the effects of the pandemic and the lockdowns and public health measures imposed during those early years persist when it comes to alcohol use.
“It’s not surprising that something that has such a significant impact on our interpersonal relationships would have that effect,” said Dr. Leslie Buckley, psychiatrist and head of the addiction division at CAMH.
Even though social restrictions have been in place for a few years, Buckley says she wants fewer people to drink, which causes both physical and mental harm. But he and other experts believe it could be a challenge because alcohol is so readily available.
Who is drinking more – and how much?
Most adults in this country drink alcohol, according to statistics canada. Recently, the CAMH Monitor eReport on substance use, mental health and well-being surveyed more than 3,000 adults in Ontario.
Some experts suggest the report’s findings raise concerns about how much alcohol Canadians are drinking.
It estimates that about 76 percent of adults of legal drinking age have consumed at least one alcoholic beverage in the past 12 months.
About 22 percent of them say they drink alcohol at least once a month.
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But these are the habits of people who drink alcohol weekly and daily.
The report found that daily alcohol drinking is projected to increase by three percent in 2025 compared with 2019, just before the virus that causes COVID-19 began spreading around the world, leading to worldwide lockdowns in early 2020.
Binge drinking, which CAMH defines as five or more drinks on a single occasion at least once per week, is 3.6 percent higher than before the pandemic.
But there was gender division in these habits.
According to the survey, men were more likely to drink alcohol daily than women. About 9.8 per cent of men surveyed in Ontario said they drank alcohol every day, compared to 5.6 per cent of women.
When it came to excessive drinking, 13.7 percent of men surveyed said they engaged in this behavior at least once a week. Less than half the number of women (5.8 percent) said they had done the same.
More drinks, more health risks
Health Canada lists several physical health outcomes Frequent drinking can lead to decreased immunity to infection, many types of cancer, heart disease, as well as damage to organs – especially the liver.
But Dr. Evan Wood, a professor at the University of British Columbia who specializes in addiction medicine, said, “Alcohol also has serious effects on our mental health.”
He says this includes increased rates of depression and anxiety, which in turn can lead to more serious consequences such as self-harm.
A study published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology shows that the rate of serious liver lesions among heavy drinkers has more than doubled over the past 20 years as the demographics of drinkers have expanded to include older adults and women.
how much is too much?
To avoid such health risks, Canadian Center for Substance Use and Addiction’s 2023 Guidelines Suggest that consuming more than one or two standard drinks per week may help people avoid serious alcohol-related health consequences.
Meanwhile, federal guidelines from Health Canada recommend that women drink no more than two standard drinks per day, up to 10 per week. For men, this limits no more than three drinks per day and increases to 15 per week.
Health Canada considers the above guidance to be a low-risk drinker and defines it as standard drink Equivalent to a 341 milliliter (12 ounce) bottle of beer or cider, which is five percent alcohol, a 142 milliliter (five ounce) glass of wine, or 43 milliliters (1.5 ounces) of hard liquor.
But these standards do not necessarily reflect what people are actually consuming when they pick up an alcoholic beverage at the store.
Many types of wine and beer have higher alcohol content than is considered standard. canned pre-mixed cocktailsFor example, may cheat.
Many types of wine and beer have higher alcohol content than is considered standard, and some pre-mixed cocktails Brands such as Cutwater, Dillons, Founders and others are sold with a 12.5 percent alcohol percentage listed on the packaging, which is far larger than a standard beer.
Wood is also concerned that many provinces across the country have made it more convenient to purchase alcohol.
“Making alcohol more available,” he said, “results in higher levels of alcohol use, which in turn results in higher levels of alcohol use disorder.”
He said that, for example, selling it in grocery stores “will have predictable consequences in terms of rates of alcohol problems, whether it’s motor vehicle accidents or the development of alcohol use disorder and those types of harms.”
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a positive attitude toward drinking alcohol
Not only since the pandemic, but in the nearly 50 years of CAMH reporting, there has been an overall change in distancing from drinking.
The number of people telling CAMH that they had consumed alcohol in the past 12 months dropped to 76.2 percent in 2025. After increasing to 80.4 percent During the first years of the pandemic, between 2020 and 2022.
This is the lowest percentage since 1977 when CAMH first began collecting data on drinking habits.
CAMH’s Buckley wants the downward trend to continue, saying some could be achieved through getting people to reconsider using alcohol as a means of socializing or stress management.
She encourages people to get more physical activity to help their mental health and, when it comes to having a good time, partaking in activities where there’s no need to drink alcohol – whether that means going for a walk, having a game night or going to a movie.
As many British Columbians take a break from alcohol in January, writer and producer Jordan Kawchuk — who has written a widely read essay on his journey with alcohol use — gives his thoughts on whether a month-long break really makes a difference.
