National Alcohol Strategy

The National Alcohol Strategy (NAS) is a landmark Canadian initiative which sets out a comprehensive and collaborative strategy and 41 recommendations for developing a culture of moderate alcohol use, with the aim of reducing alcohol misuse and related harm.

Three years ago the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA), Health Canada and the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission initiated consultations on the development of this strategy in response to concerns about alcohol misuse. Participants were drawn from a wide range of alcohol stakeholders in Canada, including the Brewers Association of Canada, the distilling and wine industries, provincial liquor boards, federal and provincial/territorial governments, Aboriginal and Inuit service organizations, NGOs, and academia-research.

In April 2007, this diverse working group released: “Reducing Alcohol Related Harm in Canada: Toward a Culture of Moderation, Recommendations for a National Alcohol Strategy”.

The NAS recognizes the notion of sensible alcohol consumption, that alcohol has a place in society and that people who drink moderately benefit. The NAS also:

• differentiates between responsible consumption and misuse;
• seeks the knowledge, input and experience of all stakeholders, including industry;
• stresses the development of partnerships between industry and the larger community, including addictions experts, researchers, academics, NGOs and government;
• supports and encourages research leading to a better understanding of alcohol misuse and the development of new initiatives; and,
• emphasizes targeted programs and education.

Implementation of the Strategy is well underway. One of the key recommendations is the development of an initiative called: Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral (SBIR). SBIR will allow Canadian health-care givers to intervene with their patients in cases where alcohol misuse is evident, and provide appropriate advice and referrals. This program is being developed by the College of Family Physicians of Canada through the financial contributions of a number of groups including the Brewers Association of Canada and the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse. A copy of the NAS can be found here.