As the season of champagne, rum and eggnog, and holiday party cocktails winds down, Canadians now have a new resource for monitoring their alcohol consumption. 

The University of VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research launched  on Jan. 2. The web-based resource provides users with detailed information about alcohol consumption, offering a personal touch that sets it apart from other tools. 

B次元官网网址淚t allows users to get more personalized or customized information about their health-related risks from alcohol, as well as calories and costs of alcohol for their own use,B次元官网网址� said Tim Naimi, director of the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research. 

Know Alcohol doesnB次元官网网址檛 just highlight the risksB次元官网网址攊t also emphasizes the benefits of cutting back. 

B次元官网网址淚t'll tell them how much they reduce the risk of death or how many minutes of life they regain per drink not consumed, as well as cigarette equivalents,B次元官网网址� said Naimi. 

The website builds on a 2023 report from the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction: CanadaB次元官网网址檚 Guidance on Alcohol and Health. The report determined that consuming two standard drinks or fewer per week minimizes alcohol-related consequences. 

The goal of Know Alcohol is to help consumers make more informed decisions by presenting the risks of alcohol consumption in a personalized and accessible way. 

B次元官网网址淭his is the first app in the world, as far as I know, that does this detailed modeling about individualized levels of risk,B次元官网网址� said Naimi. 

B次元官网网址淭he calculator portion of the site is quite sophisticated, and itB次元官网网址檚 the first in the world to provide this information, as well as cigarette and calorie equivalents.B次元官网网址� 

Accessibility was a key priority in developing the tool. Naimi and his team found that in a sea of misinformation, Canadians want credible, trustworthy information. 

B次元官网网址淢ost of the messaging around drinking comes through media, marketing and advertising from the alcohol industry,B次元官网网址� said Naimi. 

B次元官网网址淥ur feeling is that itB次元官网网址檚 the consumerB次元官网网址檚 right to know. Consumers should be empowered with better knowledge about alcohol consumption in terms of its health risks and how to mitigate those risks.B次元官网网址� 

The holidays often bring overindulgence, and for many, the new year marks a chance to cut back with initiatives like Dry January. But Naimi says itB次元官网网址檚 important to keep alcohol risks in mind year-round. 

B次元官网网址淵ou canB次元官网网址檛 just brush your teeth once and expect never to have cavities, right? So, youB次元官网网址檝e got to keep informing people,B次元官网网址� said Naimi. 

B次元官网网址淐anadiansB次元官网网址� knowledge about alcohol use and its risks is pretty poor. For example, less than half the population knows that alcohol causes cancer and is classified as a group 1 carcinogenB次元官网网址攖he highest level of cancer-causing substances, like tobacco smoke, benzene or asbestos.B次元官网网址� 

That said, Know Alcohol isnB次元官网网址檛 about lecturing peopleB次元官网网址攊tB次元官网网址檚 about informing them. 

B次元官网网址淸People] donB次元官网网址檛 want to be told what to do, but they do want to be informed. And thatB次元官网网址檚 the purpose of this,B次元官网网址� said Naimi. 

B次元官网网址淭he goal is not to tell people what to do but to empower them to make their own decisions.B次元官网网址�