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Even as women's roles have expanded substantially beyond traditional sex stereotypes, women are still commonly portrayed as uncomplaining caregivers, long-suffering intimate partners and in control of family matters, all while maintaining a sexualised femininity. Nowhere are these stereotypes and expectations more apparent than for mothers. However, some social media are exploiting mothers by inappropriately offering alcohol consumption as a solution to the challenges of parenting. This is a very timely topic, given the impacts of COVID-19 on family and home life, and potential for an increase in alcohol-related problems and health harms. We address these issues and offer alternatives to alcohol consumption as an easy solution to countering challenges of parenthood.

There is an interest globally in using Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) of alcohol to promote public health. Canada is the only country to have both implemented and evaluated some forms of minimum alcohol prices, albeit in ways that fall short of MUP. To inform these international debates, we describe the degree to which minimum alcohol prices in Canada meet recommended criteria for being an effective public health policy. We collected data on the implementation of minimum pricing with respect to (1) breadth of application, (2) indexation to inflation and (3) adjustments for alcohol content. Some jurisdictions have implemented recommended practices with respect to minimum prices; however, the full harm reduction potential of minimum pricing is not fully realised due to incomplete implementation. Key concerns include the following: (1) the exclusion of minimum prices for several beverage categories, (2) minimum prices below the recommended minima and (3) prices are not regularly adjusted for inflation or alcohol content. We provide recommendations for best practices when implementing minimum pricing policy.

Objectives: To examine (1) the harms related to the drinking of others in five Canadian provinces, stratified by socio-demographic variables, and (2) the relationship between these harms and mental well-being. Methods: A telephone survey sampled 375 adults from British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. Harms related to the drinking of others were measured through 16 questions in the domains of psychological, physical, social, and financial harms. Self-perceived mental well-being was measured with his or her mental well-being. Results: In 2012, 40.1% of Canadian adults surveyed experienced harm in the previous year related to the drinking of another person. These harms were more frequent among people who had a higher education level, were widowed, separated, divorced or never married, and were employed. Psychological, physical, and financial harms related to the drinking of others were significantly correlated to a person’s mental well-being. Conclusions: Harms related to the drinking of others are prevalent in this Canadian survey. Furthermore, the psychological, physical, and financial harms related to the drinking of others negatively impact the mental well-being of the affected individuals.

Introduction and Aims: Alcohol pricing is an effective prevention policy. This paper compares the 10 Canadian provinces on three research-based alcohol pricing policies-minimum pricing, pricing by alcohol content and maintaining prices relative to inflation. Design and Methods: The selection of these three policies was based on systematic reviews and seminal research papers. Provincial data for 2012 were obtained from Statistics Canada and relevant provincial ministries, subsequently sent to provincial authorities for verification, and then scored by team members. Results: All provinces, except for Alberta, have minimum prices for at least one beverage type sold in off-premise outlets. All provinces, except for British Columbia and Quebec, have separate (and higher) minimum pricing for on-premise establishments. Regarding pricing on alcohol content, western and central provinces typically scored higher than provinces in Eastern Canada. Generally, minimum prices were lower than the recommended $1.50 per standard drink for off-premise outlets and $3.00 per standard drink in on-premise venues. Seven of 10 provinces scored 60% or higher compared to the ideal on indexing prices to inflation. Prices for a representative basket of alcohol products in Ontario and Quebec have lagged significantly behind inflation since 2006. Discussion and Conclusions: While examples of evidence-based alcohol pricing policies can be found in every jurisdiction in Canada, significant inter-provincial variation leaves substantial unrealised potential for further reducing alcohol-related harm and costs. This comparative assessment of alcohol price policies provides clear indications of how individual provinces could adjust their pricing policies and practices to improve public health and safety.

AIMS: There is a long-standing discussion about whether some beverages are more likely to be linked with high-risk drinking and damage than others, and implications for beverage specific alcohol policies. While the evidence is inconclusive, when controlling for individual consumption, some studies have shown elevated risks by beverage type. This paper examines the situation in Ontario, Canada, from 1995 to present (2011) on several dimensions in order to assess the differences by beverage and their rationale with a specific focus on the most recent policies. METHODS: This paper draws on archival consumption statistics, taxation and pricing arrangements, and retailing and marketing practices. RESULTS: Off-premise sales, which represent an estimated 75% of ethanol, involve several channels: stores controlled by the Liquor Control Board (LCBO) - which sell all spirits, imported and domestic wines, and beer products; the Beer Store network which sell all beers; and Ontario winery stores - which sell Ontario wines. In LCBO stores Ontario wines are more prominently displayed than other beverages, and extensive print advertising tends to feature wine over beer and spirits. There are also differences by beverage in terms of taxation and price. The taxes on higher alcohol content beverage types account for a higher portion of the retail price than taxes on lower alcohol content beverage types. Furthermore, minimum price regulations allow for differential minimum pricing per standard drink [17.05 ml ethanol] across beverage types. CONCLUSIONS: The apparent rationale for these arrangements is not primarily that of favouring lighter-strength beverages in order to reduce harm, but rather to accommodate long-standing vested interests which are primarily financially based.

Objectives: We report impacts on alcohol consumption following new and increased minimum alcohol prices in Saskatchewan, Canada. Methods: We conducted autoregressive integrated moving average time series analyses of alcohol sales and price data from the Saskatchewan government alcohol monopoly for 26 periods before and 26 periods after the intervention. Results: A 10% increase in minimum prices significantly reduced consumption of beer by 10.06%, spirits by 5.87%, wine by 4.58%, and all beverages combined by 8.43%. Consumption of coolers decreased significantly by 13.2%, cocktails by 21.3%, and liqueurs by 5.3%. There were larger effects for purely off-premise sales (e.g., liquor stores) than for primarily on-premise sales (e.g., bars, restaurants). Consumption of higher strength beer and wine declined the most. A 10% increase in minimum price was associated with a 22.0% decrease in consumption of higher strength beer (> 6.5% alcohol/volume) versus 8.17% for lower strength beers. The neighboring province of Alberta showed no change in per capita alcohol consumption before and after the intervention. Conclusions: Minimum pricing is a promising strategy for reducing the public health burden associated with hazardous alcohol consumption. Pricing to reflect percentage alcohol content of drinks can shift consumption toward lower alcohol content beverage types.

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health is one of the premier centres for research related to substance use and addiction. This research began more than 50 years ago with the Addiction Research Foundation (ARF), an organization that contributed significantly to knowledge about the aetiology, treatment and prevention of substance use, addiction and related harm. After the merger of the ARF with three other institutions in 1998, research on substance use continued, with an additional focus on comorbid substance use and other mental health disorders. In the present paper, we describe the structure of funding and organization and selected current foci of research. We argue for the continuation of this successful model of integrating basic, epidemiological, clinical, health service and prevention research under the roof of a health centre.

This article summarizes the contents of Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity (2nd edn). The first part of the book describes why alcohol is not an ordinary commodity, and reviews epidemiological data that establish alcohol as a major contributor to the global burden of disease, disability and death in high-, middle- and low-income countries. This section also documents how international beer and spirits production has been consolidated recently by a small number of global corporations that are expanding their operations in Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. In the second part of the book, the scientific evidence for strategies and interventions that can prevent or minimize alcohol-related harm is reviewed critically in seven key areas: pricing and taxation, regulating the physical availability of alcohol, modifying the drinking context, drink-driving countermeasures, restrictions on marketing, education and persuasion strategies, and treatment and early intervention services. Finally, the book addresses the policy-making process at the local, national and international levels and provides ratings of the effectiveness of strategies and interventions from a public health perspective. Overall, the strongest, most cost-effective strategies include taxation that increases prices, restrictions on the physical availability of alcohol, drink-driving countermeasures, brief interventions with at risk drinkers and treatment of drinkers with alcohol dependence., Also in Swedish: Ingen vanlig handelsvara - en sammanfattning av den andra utgåvan // Nordic Studies on Alcohol & Drugs - 2010 (27) : 5, s. 107-125

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Objective: To examine the impact of usual drinking patterns and related problems on the acute use of alcohol in injury. Method: The impact of quantity and frequency of drinking, alcohol problems and dependence symptoms on admission to the emergency room (ER) for an alcohol-related injury (based, separately, on a positive blood alcohol concentration [BAC] and self-reported drinking within 6 hours prior to injury), compared with a nonalcohol related injury, was examined using meta-analysis, across 15 ER studies covering seven countries. Results: Pooled effect size for consuming five or more drinks on an occasion at least monthly was significant but not homogeneous, with odds ratios (ORs) of 4.16 for BAC and 3.92 for self-report. Frequency of drinking among nonheavy drinkers was found to have the largest effect size (5.93 for BAC and 4.93 for self- report). Heavy drinking, controlling for frequency, was also significant (ORs of 2.08 for BAC and 1.86 for self-report), but effect size was homogeneous only for self-report. Effect sizes for consequences of drinking and dependence symptoms were also significant and homogeneous, with ORs of 4.29 and 3.55, respectively, for BAC, and 3.84 and 3.94, respectively, for self-report. In meta-regression analysis, among contextual variables the level to which alcohol use is stigmatized in the culture was most consistently predictive of heavy-drinking effect size on an alcohol-related injury, with larger effect sizes found in those studies reporting a lower level of stigmatization. Conclusions: Whereas quantity and frequency of drinking were both found to be highly predictive of an alcohol-related injury, sociocultural variables may affect observed associations of heavy drinking with an alcohol-related injury.

OBJECTIVE:This article presents trend data concerning public opinion on alcohol policy in the Canadian province of Ontario over a 10-year period (1989-98), highlights the currently debated issue of private venues for retail alcohol sales and assesses correspondence between public opinion and actual and proposed policy decisions. METHOD:Selected policy-related items from nine probability surveys on representative samples of male and female Ontario adults (range of unweighted n 's: 953 to 1,947) were analyzed by means of logistic regression. RESULTS: We found strong support for the status quo for a number of items, including beer and liquor store hours, corner store sales and taxes. Across all years, less than 6% of the total sample wanted to lower the legal drinking age. Over time, a linear trend showed a gradual but not entirely consistent development of attitudes among the Ontario public, favoring relaxation of some controls. However, contrary to this trend, disapproval of retail sales in corner stores increased significantly from 1992 to 1996. Demographic breakdown shows that relaxation of controls is most favored by those who report consumption of five or more drinks per occasion at least weekly over the past 12 months, and most strongly opposed by women and nondrinkers. Of those who seldom or never consume five or more drinks per occasion, the majority express satisfaction with the status quo. CONCLUSIONS:These data call into question the suitability of changes in alcohol policy that would diminish controls. It is of particular interest that there seems to be little public support for privatization proposals in the province. Public opinion against comer store sales of alcoholic beverages increased over time.