Overall fewer British Columbians are drinking booze, but the Interior has the highest rates for heavy drinking.

The annual report from the Officer of the Provincial Health Officer found that alcohol consumption is down from its peak in 2020, but people in the Interior are still drinking far more than is medically advisable. Dr. Bonnie Henry says that when it comes to alcohol “less is best.”

Here are the numbers from the report using the latest data as of 2023:

8.8: Standard drinks a week. That’s the average alcohol consumption for B.C. residents.
2: Standard drinks a week is the recommended maximum to avoid alcohol related risks. Some boring, party-pooping doctors apparently want to keep people healthy.
13.4: Standard drinks a week. That’s how much people in the Interior Health region drank in 2023-2024. The most for any region in B.C.
29: Per cent of people in the B.C. Interior reported binge drinking, having five or more drinks on one occasion, in the past year.
38: Per cent of British Columbians between ages 12 and 19 have tried alcohol. That’s a 20-year low in the province.
50: Per cent of youth ages 12 to 19 in the B.C. Interior have tried alcohol. Only Northern B.C. has a higher rate, 52 per cent.
29: Per cent of higher income drinkers reported drinking heavily.
166: Alcohol-caused hospitalizations per 100,000 people in high income areas.
20: Per cent of low income drinkers reported heavy drinking.
411: Alcohol-caused hospitalizations per 100,000 people in low income areas.

iN NUMBERS: BC Interior leads the province for heavy drinking