Raise a glass to safety, safely

Understanding the risks and shared responsibility for alcohol and safety in manufacturing and beyond

By Dr. Martin Lavoie

Alcohol made its way into society thousands of years ago – used in celebrations, rituals, and social gatherings. Yet despite its long-standing place in society, alcohol significantly contributes to preventable injury, illness, and death. While modest alcohol consumption can coexist—more or less—with healthy living, its broad availability and normalization in our society come with significant overuse and misuse, which endanger and harm both individuals and communities. Fortunately, most of this harm is preventable.

Understanding the intersection of alcohol and safety is not just a matter of personal choice—it’s our collective responsibility. While individuals play a role in how alcohol is consumed, it is undeniable that families, workplaces, governments, and communities all share an interest in preventing alcohol-related harm. Knowing the historical roots of alcohol in our society, how its consumption has various physiological effects, how it is responsible for a number of safety issues, and the importance of both individual and societal actions will help us create safer drinking cultures.

In the beginning…

Evidence from different ancient societies tells an interesting story about alcohol. For example, archaeological findings from 7000 BCE China show evidence of fermented rice and fruit beverages, while beer and wine was used in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt as gifts to the gods. In ancient Greece and Rome, wine symbolized both pleasure and intellect – and, interestingly, its use in excess was negatively perceived and derided, a concept that speaks to a longstanding understanding of its harms and to the concept of moderation.

The patterns of consumption and regulation in Canada have their own history. From early colonization, European-style alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, spirits) were part of trade, social life, and community rituals. Over time, Canada developed its own alcohol control system: provincial liquor boards, public-run outlets, and regulation of production and distribution.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, temperance movements had a strong presence in Canadian society. These movements influenced our liquor laws, many of which persist today as provincial regulations on where, when, and how alcohol can be sold.

Modern Canada tries to balance the cultural role of alcohol with public health concerns: provincial governments regulate sales, and federal and public health agencies monitor harm and fund interventions.

How alcohol affects the body and mind

Alcohol is a psychoactive substance that slows down brain activity, impairing co-ordination, judgment, and reaction time. Its impact depends on blood alcohol concentration (BAC)—the proportion of alcohol in the bloodstream. At low levels (0.02–0.05 per cent), effects can include relaxation, reduced inhibition, and mild euphoria. The effects get more pronounced with higher concentrations:

• 0.06–0.10%: Poor coordination and judgment, slower reflexes

• 0.11–0.20%: Blurred vision, emotional swings, impaired balance

• Above 0.30%: Possible unconsciousness or death

The liver is the key organ that metabolizes alcohol at about one standard drink per hour (one standard drink is the equivalent of roughly 30 ml of pure alcohol). Drinking faster than this leads to accumulation in the bloodstream, bringing on intoxication.

On the longer-term side of things, use, overuse and misuse of alcohol contribute to a variety of health issues, including liver disease, heart problems, neurological damage, and cancer. These many different health harms represent a significant burden both for individuals but also the healthcare system and our society. According to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, in 2017, alcohol contributed to over 18,000 deaths and more than 100,000 hospitalizations. 

None for the road

Driving under the influence of alcohol remains one its most serious safety threats, one that impacts not only the impaired driver, but too often many others – passengers in the car, others on the road, and nearby bikers, pedestrians, and other people going about their daily lives.

Impaired coordination and delayed reaction times dramatically increase the likelihood of crashes. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that about one in four road traffic deaths globally involves alcohol. Statistics Canada stated that nationally, police reported 71,602 incidents of impaired driving in 2023 and also reported that alcohol remained the leading reason for impaired driving deaths in 2023.

The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction reports that impaired driving is one of the most common factors contributing to serious motor vehicle crashes in Canada. From 2000 to 2014, over 12,000 people are estimated to have died in crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver. Despite some progress, self-reported behaviour suggests that 5.9 per cent of Canadian drivers admitted in a 2024 poll to driving over the legal limit in the past 30 days.

The Criminal Code of Canada prohibits driving with a BAC of 80 mg per 100 ml of blood (0.08 per cent) or when impaired. Convictions can lead to fines, licence suspensions, and jail time.

Even at lower BAC levels, alcohol can impair vision and judgment. For this reason, many countries have set even lower legal driving limits between 0.02 and 0.05 per cent, with strict enforcement saving thousands of lives annually. Preventive measures—such as sobriety checkpoints, ignition interlock devices, and public campaigns work best when supported by a shared sense of responsibility. Safe transportation isn’t just the driver’s duty; passengers, friends, and communities all play a role in preventing impaired driving.

On the job

The workplace is another environment where alcohol misuse has far-reaching consequences. Impairment reduces concentration, reaction speed, and decision-making—critical abilities in many workplaces, including manufacturing. Alcohol misuse costs the economy staggering amounts each year, with most losses linked to reduced productivity and absenteeism. But beyond economics, alcohol misuse threatens co-worker health and safety.

Creating alcohol-safe workplaces requires a combination of individual accountability, clear and effective policies, and organizational culture. Employers can and should set clear policies, provide education, and offer confidential support for employees facing alcohol-related challenges. Co-workers, too, share responsibility for speaking up when their and their colleagues’ safety is at risk. A healthy work environment is clearly a team effort, one where support predominates and where stigma is not tolerated.

Stopping community harm

Alcohol’s influence unfortunately extends well beyond the individuals who consume it; it is shaping broad community harm. As it reduces self-control, alcohol is a major factor in domestic violence, assaults, and public disorder, often escalating conflicts. Research indicates that alcohol plays a role in up to 50 per cent of all violent crimes worldwide. In homes, alcohol can intensify domestic tensions, placing partners and children at risk. In public spaces, it contributes to fights, aggression, and vandalism.

Community-level solutions are therefore essential. From a policy perspective, Canadian public health advocates (like the Canadian Public Health Association) call for stricter regulation of alcohol marketing, taxation, and outlet density. Limiting alcohol outlet density, restricting late-night sales, and training serving staff to refuse service to intoxicated patrons have all proven effective. When combined with education and strong law enforcement, such measures create environments where responsible drinking is the norm, not the exception.

It is also important to address the culture of alcohol, one our society has developed over hundreds, even thousands of years. That culture has shaped many aspects of our lives, but in many ways has also gone beyond what is safe. As it was getting deeply rooted and established, this simple substance has also developed tension and many opposing views in our society – one pushing for maintaining its position, assets, benefits and privileges, the other, suffering its direct and indirect harms or highly concerned about the risks, trying to dial it back.

Know the risks, make smart choices

At the individual level, alcohol lowers inhibitions and distorts risk perception. Intoxicated individuals are more likely to engage in dangerous behaviours—such as unsafe sex, swimming while drunk, or engaging in physical altercations—that can have long-lasting consequences.

Unintentional injuries linked to alcohol include falls, burns, drownings, and poisoning. In fact, alcohol contributes to up to 70 per cent of adult drowning deaths. Binge drinking—defined as consuming several drinks in a short period—can lead to alcohol poisoning, a potentially fatal condition characterized by vomiting, slowed breathing, and loss of consciousness.

Safety begins with personal choices like pacing drinks, eating before drinking, and avoiding alcohol in risky situations. But personal responsibility does not operate in a vacuum – it is directly and strongly influenced by social norms, rules, policies, evidence-based interventions, and legislation, among other things. It also plays out more favourably in a culture that encourages care for others—friends ensuring each other gets home safely, hosts providing non-alcoholic options and food, and communities normalizing moderation.

Education and shared responsibility

Education can be an effective tool in preventing alcohol-related harm, but it works best when paired with shared responsibility and other structural elements like policies and legislation related to licensing, enforcement, and social norms. Effective programs don’t just inform and warn against drinking—they work in synergy and complement each other, coherently shaping our collective and individual behaviour, ultimately fostering understanding, empathy, and informed decision-making.

Ultimately, education should promote a collective ethic of care—where individuals recognize their influence on others’ safety, and communities support healthy behaviour through culture, policy, and example.

Policy, regulation, and collective action

Public policy forms the backbone of alcohol safety. The various levels of governments influence consumption patterns through measures including taxation, pricing, licensing, accessibility, enforcement, and marketing controls. Research also plays a very important role. However, regulation alone is not enough; it must align with social values and community cooperation.

Effective policy approaches include:

• Minimum drinking age laws that limit early exposure

• Taxation and price controls that reduce excessive consumption

• Advertising restrictions to protect vulnerable groups

• Outlet and hour regulations to prevent late-night harm

When combined with local engagement—such as responsible beverage service training and community policing—these measures create safer environments. The success of countries like Iceland and Australia, where education, enforcement, and culture work hand in hand, shows that reducing harm is achievable when responsibility is shared among citizens, industry, and governments alike.

Finding the balance

Responsible drinking means recognizing both the personal and social dimensions of alcohol use. On an individual level, moderation involves understanding alcohol’s harm, one’s limits, one’s impact on others, alternating drinks with water, and never driving or operating machinery after drinking. On a societal level, it means cultivating environments that support those choices—places where refusing a drink is respected and where moderation is celebrated rather than mocked.

Families, schools, and communities all influence drinking culture. Modelling responsible behaviour, checking in on friends, and offering alternatives to heavy drinking reinforce the idea that safety is a shared value. Collective responsibility transforms alcohol safety from an individual challenge into a community strength.

So, where now?

Alcohol’s presence in human history reflects our enduring search for joy, connection, and comfort—but also our vulnerability to excess. Ensuring safety requires more than individual behaviour change – it demands a shared commitment to responsibility, compassion, and awareness.

By blending education, policy, and mutual accountability, communities can create cultures where alcohol enhances life rather than endangering it. True safety emerges when individuals act thoughtfully and societies work collectively to protect one another—proving that balance, not prohibition, is the most powerful form of prevention. 

Dr. Martin Lavoie, M.D., FRCPC, is a physician with a specialty in public health and a Clinical Instructor at the School of Population and Public Health in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia. A graduate of Université de Montréal in 1996, he has practised public health/community medicine in Québec, Alberta, and British Columbia.