Alcohol use refers to the number and types of alcoholic drinks a person consumes per week.
Tips & Links
Alcohol can affect your physical, mental, and emotional functioning and overall health. Alcohol can also alter the effects of any medications you are taking. Be aware that people who use alcohol in excess can have an increased risk of falls, accidents, and harming themselves or others.
Learn More
- Learn how to monitor your own alcohol use with Healthlink BC.
- Realize that if you have more than 2 drinks every day, you might have withdrawal symptoms if hospitalized. This information should be shared with your surgeon or anesthesiologist before surgery.
- Know that consuming alcohol before surgery may increase the risk of various health complications such as problems with anesthesia, increased bleeding, and delayed healing.
- Know that alcohol use can also interact with medications and treatments making them less effective as outlined by Healthlink BC.
- Learn about the concept of ‘minful drinking’, tips and strategies from the Canadian Mental Health Association.
- Explore special information for seniors and alcohol use from Healthlink BC.
Find Support
- Contact Alcohol & Drug Information Referral Service (ADIRS) which provides free, confidential information and referral services to British Columbians in need of support with any kind of substance use issue. Contact ADIRS toll-free at 1-800- 663-1441.
- Visit the list of Alcohol Anonymous (AA) meetings in BC from Pathways/Doctors of BC.
- Call 211 in BC for alcohol and drug information, referrals and treatment services. A confidential, multilingual, free, phone line available 24/7. You can email them at help@bc211.ca.
- Explore Al‑Anon Support Programs if you are living with or affected by someone who has an alcohol problem.
- Explore the mental health and substance use information, services and resources from HeretoHelp.bc.ca.
- Contact HealthLink BC for confidential, free health advice on alcohol use and provides information about local services. Call 8-1-1 or visit Healthlinkbc.ca.
- For youth, explore the services and resources offered by the Foundry in BC. Wellness services for youth 12-24, including alcohol counselling.
Mywell Health helps you learn about and organize your health information in one place. Add your alcohol use (amount & frequency) to your Health Profile fillable PDF tool and save it in your print or digital files under My Health Information.