Alcohol consumption: a different kind of Canadian mosaic.

OBJECTIVES To determine the way Canadians consume alcohol beyond drinking amounts and to verify if the drinking act is similar across provinces given that, in Canada, alcohol policies come under provincial jurisdiction. METHODS Subjects were 10,466 current drinkers (5,743 women and 4,723 men) aged 18 to 76 years, who participated in the GENACIS Canada study. RESULTS In Canada, there are three main patterns of consuming alcohol. Maritimers tend to drink more per occasion, report more binge drinking and largely prefer beer. In the Prairies, people tend to drink less, to drink less often during a meal and to favour spirits. Finally, drinkers from Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia drink more often, drink wine more often, drink spirits less often, and drink more often during a meal than drinkers from the other provinces. The same patterns are observed in both sexes, although the differences across provinces are less pronounced among women. CONCLUSION Knowledge about these three drinking groups should be used to increase the legitimacy and effectiveness of alcohol policies in general.