Alcohol use in Ontario remains marked by harmful patterns since the pandemic

A Centre for Addiction and Mental Health study reports overall alcohol use in Ontario fell slightly since 2019, but weekly binge drinking, daily drinking among drinkers, and symptoms of alcohol dependence remain higher than pre-pandemic levels.

A new report from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) examined alcohol and other substance use, and self-reported health, among 3,012 Ontario adults surveyed in early 2025. The study compares measures from 2019, 2020 and 2025 and identifies continuing high-risk drinking patterns despite a small decline in overall alcohol use. CAMH authors noted increased symptoms of alcohol dependence and persistent high levels of regular binge and daily drinking among some groups. The report also describes changes in other substance use and in self-rated mental and physical health. Key findings: - Overall alcohol use reported fell from 79.9% in 2019 to 76.2% in 2025, while symptoms of alcohol dependence rose from 7.4% in 2019 to 12.1% in 2025. - Weekly binge drinking was 9.6% in 2025, up from 6.0% in 2019 but down from 11.3% in 2020. - Daily drinking among people who drink increased from 7.1% in 2019 to 10.1% in 2025. - The study reports rising self-rated mental and physical health concerns and notes changes in use of other substances, including increases in cannabis and lifetime cocaine use. Summary: The CAMH study indicates that while fewer Ontario adults report any drinking compared with 2019, patterns associated with higher risk of harm—including more frequent binge and daily drinking and higher reported symptoms of dependence—have persisted since the pandemic, and some mental and physical health indicators remain at or worse than pandemic levels. Undetermined at this time.