Alcohol Reduction – Community Strategies
Alcohol use increases the risk of many health problems including some types of cancer. In 2015, about 280 new cancer cases diagnosed in Alberta were linked to this risk factor.1
The good news is that communities can help reduce alcohol use!
The strategies listed below offer some ideas to guide activities to reduce or eliminate alcohol use in your community. To make the greatest impact, it is best to implement more than one strategy. Activities that work to change the social, physical, and economic aspects of a community, as well as local policies will have the best results. It is important to start where you are at. This may mean starting with one area of change and then building on it in other areas over time.
Ways to take action
All of the strategies below are based on current research, have been tested and shown to work. See the methods section for more information on how these strategies were developed.
Alcohol Pricing
Increasing the price of alcohol can reduce how much people drink.
Awareness and Education
Awareness and education campaigns can shed light on alcohol related harms.
Limiting Access to Alcohol
Limiting the sale of alcohol can reduce alcohol-related harms.
Download Alcohol Reduction Strategy Kit
Community action focus areas
- Grevers X, Ruan Y, Poirier AE, Walter SD, Villeneuve PJ, Friedenreich CM, Brenner DR. Estimates of the current and future burden of cancer attributable to alcohol consumption in Canada. Preventive Medicine. 2019;122:40-8.
