Alcohol & Drug Use

Abuse of alcohol and illegal drug use takes an enormous toll on society through illness, injury, violence, unemployment, family breakdown, lost potential and the cost of providing care.

More than one or two drinks a day increases the risk of stroke and cancer. To learn more, check the Alcohol-Related Topics page.

Drugs can also have many short-term and long-term effects on the body, brain and behaviour. For more detail, check our Drug- Related Topics page.

We know the main threat to adolescents' health lies in the risky behaviours they choose. Parents can learn how to recognize risk-taking behaviours and the signs, symptoms and prevention and treatment of substance use through the  Information for Parents and Youth page.

Even a brief intervention by a professional can be beneficial. On our Information for Professionals page, there is information about screening tools, harm reduction, stages of change and links between substance use and chronic disease.

Cost of Alcohol & Drugs to Society

According to a study conducted by the Canadian Centre of Substance Abuse, the total cost of harmful alcohol use in Ontario in 2002 alone was $5.32 billion. The total cost of illegal drug use was $2.9 billion.

The tally included:

• Costs related to injury disability and premature death from crashes, falls, fires, violent acts such as assault, date rape, domestic violence, child abuse, homicide, poisonings, suicide and many other forms of intentional and unintentional damage, much of which is preventable.

• The cost of treating chronic health problems such as cancers and stroke.
• Crime enforcement and court costs associated with alcohol and other drug-related offences, including trafficking, illegal possession, cultivation or manufacturing, or criminal acts committed under the influence of drugs, or for the purpose of purchasing drugs.
• Work-related costs such as employee absenteeism, accidents, lost productivity and lost years of life. (The total workplace productivity losses across Canada attributed to alcohol were $6.16 billion; total productivity losses due to illegal drugs, $4.4 billion.) Check the Project Health website for workplace resources.
• Health costs associated with communicable diseases.
• Costs associated with addiction prevention and treatment.