Trying for a 'Dry January'? This tool from B.C. researchers may help

As many pledge to undertake a "Dry January" as a booze-free antidote to the excesses of the holidays, B.C. researchers have launched an online tool they say measures the costs of alcohol consumption and the benefits of cutting back.

KnowAlcohol.ca was designed by researchers at the University of Victoria's Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, which announced the launch Thursday.

"What are my health risks, costs and calories from drinking alcohol? What could I gain or save from drinking less?" the launch page of the calculator asks, describing the questions users can get answers to by using the tool.

After inputting one's age, sex, and the number of drinks consumed per week, the calculator produces "individualized risks of alcohol-related disease, including several types of cancers, measures like cigarette equivalency, and minutes of life lost per drink, as well as information about costs and calories related to alcohol," a news release from UVic says.

Another option is to complete another field to see the potential benefits of reducing intake.

“A can of peas has more information on it than a can of beer,” Dr. Tim Naimi, with the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research.

“We wanted to provide credible information about alcohol with this site and calculator. People have the right to know.”

The calculator uses data from updated federal guidelines which recommended that people should not consume more than two alcoholic beverages per week, warning that exceeding this number elevates health risks. That number was a dramatic reduction from the previous guidelines – which said men should cap their weekly drinks at 15 and women at 10 to remain low-risk.

"When Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health was released two years ago, it started the first national conversation on alcohol consumption,” said Naimi.

“We wanted to take it a step further and make a tool that showed people personalized results so they could make evidence-informed decisions about their drinking habits.”

Naimi said it was important to design something that would go beyond highlining potential harm, and would show people the benefits of cutting back. The purpose, Naimi says, is to reinforce the message that drinking less is better – even when the reduction is relatively modest.

Using the example of a 35-year-old woman who drinks 10 drinks per week, the amount from the former guidelines, the calculator produced the following health-related results.

• A 1.9 per cent risk of dying early from alcohol
• An average of 5.6 minutes of "life lost" per drink
• A 17.7 per cent increase in risk for alcohol-related cancer, when compared to a non-drinker
• A "cigarette equivalency" of five

Reducing the number to five produced these results.

• A 0.5 per cent risk of dying early from alcohol
• An average of 4.1minutes of "life lost" per drink
• A 8.9 per cent increase in risk for alcohol-related cancer, when compared to a non-drinker
• A "cigarette equivalency" of two

More information, as well as the calculator, can be found here.