A report published by Ottawa Public Health (OPH) this month suggests young adults in Ottawa are most likely to exceed suggested alcohol consumption limits compared to the rest of the population, and heavy drinking in general is on the rise.
Forty-four per cent of aged 19-24 reported heavy drinking in the previous year. The report defined heavy drinking as consuming more than four drinks for females or five drinks for males in one occasion once a month or more. Only 22 per cent of 25-44 year-olds in the city reported heavy drinking.
The report, titled “Let’s Continue the Conversation,” features personal stories of people in Ottawa who have been affected by alcohol use, and who responded to an earlier OPH online survey on alcohol consumption.
“Binge drinking in late years of high school and in university caused many problems for my friends. Some had to drop out because their grades were so bad as a result of over use of alcohol,” one respondent wrote.
According to Nancy Langdon, OPH health promotion and disease prevention unit supervisor, the challenge among young adults is simply communicating the consequences of alcohol use.
“The younger the person was who was responding [to the survey], the more likely they were to say they weren’t worried, that there’s no problem with alcohol,” she said.
The report emphasized the “second-hand effects” of alcohol in Ottawa, including costs incurred to taxpayers by emergency room visits and paramedic calls, alcohol-related violence, crime and sexual assault, as well as impaired driving.
“What we want to do is reframe alcohol from an individual issue to a community issue. That’s going to be challenging wherever we go in Ottawa, including young adults,” Langdon said.
OPH has proposed a “three-point community engagement” plan, which aims to get community stakeholders involved in a discussion about current alcohol policies.
The report suggests that many of the potential harms associated with alcohol use are experienced more commonly among the university-aged sector. Alcohol-attributable deaths, for example, are highest among residents aged 15-29 due to impaired driving.
Kim Corace, an addictions specialist at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, said she isn’t surprised that OPH found young adults are disproportionately affected by alcohol use. She said alcohol is easily accessible and available to students on university campuses.
“There’s a social acceptability to it, and if you think about the fact that mental health issues often start around the same time, it’s not surprising,” Corace said. “We see most substance use and mental health problems emerge in adolescence and youth.”
Corace agreed with OPH that approaching alcohol abuse from a community perspective is important.
“Not everyone that’s affected by an alcohol problem has the problem themselves,” she said. “Binge drinking can create problems in schools, relationships, work, legal issues, unintended pregnancies, assault. . . [and] you could overdose.”
In line with the report’s community-focused approach, one of OPH’s key recommendations is to seek collaborative action.
“We’re all in this together,” Langdon said, referring specifically to Carleton University as an Ottawa institution that deals with binge drinking. “Our goal is to just keep talking and see what resonates with people.”
Representatives from Carleton’s Student Affairs Office have already met with OPH to discuss the survey results used in OPH’s report, according to, student care and support manager Vicki Boman.
“We are working on the same issue, helping people understand the safe drinking guidelines,” Boman said. “Whether you are a post-secondary student or a member of the community, it is important to understand what qualifies as binge drinking and how this can negatively impact your health.”
Part of Carleton’s strategy to promote responsible drinking is sharing guidelines with students via social media, according to Boman. These guidelines recommend eating before and during drinking, setting a drinking limit ahead of time, and alternating between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
