Alcohol Use – Clinical Guidelines

Substance Use Disorders

In 2017, the CCSMH was awarded funding by Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP), to develop four sets of clinical guidelines on the prevention, screening, assessment, and treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), Benzodiazepine Receptor Agonist Use Disorder (BUD), Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD) and Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) in older adults. The following introduction and methodology were used for all four guidelines: 

• Introduction to the Canadian Coalition for Seniors’ Mental Health Guidelines on Substance Use Disorders Among Older Adults
• Methodology

In 2023, The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) published updated low-risk drinking guidance for Canadians incorporating new evidence on cancer and cardiovascular disease risk. The updated guidance redefines the category of low-risk drinking to be 2 standard drinks or less per week with no more than 1 standard drink per instance. For more information on Canada’s guidance on alcohol and health, please visit the Canadian Centre of Substance Use and Addiction website.

For older adults, CCSMH recommends reducing alcohol use whenever possible and abstinence considered, especially if there is:

• A personal or family history of alcohol use disorder
• An existing chronic medical condition, cognitive impairment, mental illness, or substance use disorder
• A possibility of harmful interaction with current medication
• Increased frailty
• A tendency to drink to cope with life’s challenges