CMHA Algoma, Mental Health & Addiction Services

2 weeks ago

As of September 5, 2024, more than 4,000 convenience stores across Ontario are licensed to sell alcoholic beverages, in addition to nearly 3,000 other licensed retail outlets as well as takeaway options from licensed bars and restaurants. The province has proceeded with the alcohol retail expansion despite repeated concerns from public health and mental health organizations like CMHA Ontario on the the value of the decision without a comprehensive alcohol strategy in place.

KEY MESSAGES – TOP LEVEL

• Despite the acceleration of the retail expansion, Ontario does not have a coordinated action plan for reducing harms from alcohol use. There is an urgent need to build and fund an alcohol strategy with a whole-of-government approach that puts health, safety and fiscal responsibility before commercial interests.

• A provincial alcohol strategy is the best approach to an alcohol policy that prioritizes health and safety and considers the costs associated with alcohol consumption.

• Alcohol expansion is a healthcare issue. Alcohol policies need to be based on the health and well-being of our communities and not as tools to increase revenue from sales if we want to reduce alcohol-related harms.

• We are happy to collaborate with the government on the implementation and development of new alcohol policies, to ensure that the approach prioritizes public health and harm reduction, and minimizes the negative impact to those most at risk.

o CMHA Ontario was part of a coalition of organizations across public health, research and advocacy, and community mental health and addictions which sent a letter and evidence brief outlining our concerns on the initiative to the Ontario government back in May. To date, we have not received a response.

• We recognize that as part of the expansion plan, the government has committed $10 million over five years to social responsibility and public health measures. While we appreciate the symbolic commitment to public health as part of the alcohol expansion announcement, realistically the mental health and addictions sector will need more funding to address the public health risks around this issue.

• Increasing the number of alcohol outlets has been shown to lead to increases in negative health outcomes including violence, injuries, alcohol-related crashes, and death by suicide.

• The relationship of alcohol to mental health and well-being are well documented and the increasing availability of alcohol is in direct contradiction to a public health approach to substance use.

• Without clearly outlined goals, strategies and funding to reduce alcohol-related harms, this retail expansion will put additional strain on an already overloaded community mental health and addictions system HHR.

• It is critical that harm reduction approaches are fully funded so that individuals can seek the best option for reducing use.

KEY MESSAGES – FAST FACTS
• On average, every year in Ontario, there are an estimated 4,330 deaths, 22,009 hospitalizations and 194,692 emergency department visits attributable to alcohol among people aged 15 and older.

• Alcohol is the most consumed substance in Canada, and it causes more harms than other regulated substances.

• In Ontario alone, healthcare costs associated with alcohol increased 35 per cent over a decade, from $1.73 billion in 2010 to $2.3 billion in 2020. (10 years $.6 billion increase.

• In comparison to all other substances, including tobacco, alcohol is the most burdensome substance and cost Ontario $7.11 billion in 2020 due to lost productivity, healthcare, criminal justice and other direct costs.

• The 2023 Canadian Alcohol Policy Evaluation (CAPE) report card for Ontario scored a failing grade of 40 per cent, down from 55 per cent in 2019.

• Alcohol is a carcinogen that can cause at least seven types of cancer, and it is a risk factor for many types of cardiovascular disease and liver disease.

KEY MESSAGES – ALCOHOL USE IMPACTS MENTAL HEALTH

• The urgent need for action at the provincial level to reduce harms from alcohol use is supported by the recommendations on alcohol in the Chief Medical Officer of Health of Ontario’s (CMOH) 2023 Annual Report.

• People with mental illness have much higher rates of addiction than people in the general population, and people with an addiction have much higher rates of mental illness.

• People with co-occurring mental illness and alcohol use problems have an increased risk for thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts, and suicide.

• Drinking five or more standard drinks per occasion for men, or four or more for women, increases suicidal ideation.

• Starting to drink alcohol before age 13 may be associated with an increase in suicidal ideation.

• Alcohol is a depressant. Alcohol dependence has been associated with clinical depression.

• Alcohol interacts with some medications used for treating physical and/ or mental illnesses, including depression.

KEY MESSAGES – Details on CMHA Ontario’s Recommendation Brief
CMHA Ontario provided a set of four recommendations to reduce risk of alcohol-related harms:
1. Cease alcohol retail expansion in Ontario and implement health-based regulatory controls
• Evidence shows that increasing alcohol retail density leads to several negative health outcomes including violence, injuries, alcohol-related crashes, and death by suicide.

2. Strengthen controls on advertising and marketing of alcohol to prevent youth exposure
• Drinking is a leading cause of death in young people.
• Marketing alcohol as a way of life that includes glamour, joy, excitement, vitality, and as a behaviour that is essential for social gatherings, is detrimental and yet widespread in Canada.
• Such marketing encourages higher risk alcohol consumption and drinking at an earlier age.

3. Prioritize access to a range of treatment options
• Resources for individuals to access treatment without delay, and funding community-based supports for individuals experiencing problematic alcohol consumption is fundamental to providing a supportive environment in our communities.

4. Create and implement a comprehensive alcohol strategy for Ontario
• Alcohol should be addressed as a public health issue with clearly outlined goals and strategies to reduce harms and mitigate risks.
• Implementing a government endorsed and funded evidence-based alcohol strategy that is independent of industry interests will support efforts to prevent health risks associated with alcohol use and reduce the burden of alcohol harms.

Stockwell, T.,et al. (2019). Strategies to Reduce Alcohol-Related Harms and Costs in Canada: A Review of Provincial and Territorial Policies. Victoria, BC: Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, University of Victoria.

Ontario Health and Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion (Public Health Ontario). Burden of Health Conditions Attributable to Smoking and Alcohol by Public Health Unit in Ontario. Toronto: King’s Printer; 2023.
Paradis, C., Butt, P., Shield, K., Poole, N., Wells, S., Naimi, T., Sherk, A., & the Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines Scientific Expert Panels. (2023). Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health: Final Report. Ottawa, Ont.: Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction.
Canadian Substance Use Costs and Harms online data visualization tool. Accessed at this link on 2023-09-05. (Canadian Substance Use Costs and Harms Scientific Working Group. (2023). Canadian substance use costs and harms 2007–2020. (Prepared by the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research and the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction.) Ottawa, Ont.: Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addict
Canadian Substance Use Costs and Harms online data visualization tool. Accessed at this link on 2023-09-05. (Canadian Substance Use Costs and Harms Scientific Working Group. (2023). Canadian substance use costs and harms 2007–2020. (Prepared by the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research and the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction.) Ottawa, Ont.: Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction.)
Naimi, T., Stockwell, T., Giesbrecht, N., Wettlaufer, A., Vallance, K., Farrell-Low, A., Farkouh, E., Ma, J., Priore, B., Vishnevsky, N., Price, T., Asbridge, M., Gagnon, M., Hynes, G., Shelley, J., Sherk, A., Shield, K., Solomon, R., Thomas, G. & Thompson, K.(2023). Canadian Alcohol Policy Evaluation (CAPE) 3.0: PolicyScoring Rubric (Provincial/Territorial). Victoria, BC: Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, University of Victoria.
: Paradis, C., Butt, P., Shield, K., Poole, N., Wells, S., Naimi, T., Sherk, A., & the Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines Scientific Expert Panels. (2023). Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health: Final Report. Ottawa, Ont.: Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction.
Mental Health Commission of Canada. (2022). How Alcohol and Suicide are connected – A Fact Sheet. Accessed on May 16, 2023 at mentalhealthcommission.ca/resource/alcohol-use-and-suicide-fact-sheet/
Stockwell, T.,et al. (2019). Strategies to Reduce Alcohol-Related Harms and Costs in Canada: A Review of Provincial and Territorial Policies. Victoria, BC: Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, University of Victoria ... See MoreSee Less

How Alcohol and Suicide are connected - A Fact Sheet - Mental Health Commission of Canada

mentalhealthcommission.ca

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