Drinking rose during the pandemic and remains higher, survey finds

A CAMH survey of more than 3,000 Ontario adults found past‑year drinking fell to about 76% in 2025, while daily drinking was up about 3% and weekly binge drinking up about 3.6% compared with 2019.

A new report from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) examines alcohol use and well‑being in Ontario and looks at changes since the start of the COVID‑19 pandemic. The CAMH Monitor eReport surveyed more than 3,000 adults in the province. While overall past‑year drinking has declined compared with the early pandemic years, CAMH found that people who drink are doing so in larger amounts than before 2020. Experts quoted in the report say those patterns persist even several years after lockdowns ended. Key findings: - The CAMH Monitor eReport surveyed over 3,000 Ontario adults and found 76.2% of adults reported having at least one alcoholic drink in the previous 12 months in 2025. - Daily drinking rose by about 3% in 2025 compared with 2019, and weekly binge drinking (defined by CAMH as five or more drinks on a single occasion at least once per week) rose by about 3.6%. - The survey found gender differences: 9.8% of men reported drinking daily versus 5.6% of women, and 13.7% of men reported weekly binge drinking versus 5.8% of women. Summary: CAMH and addiction specialists note the increases in daily and weekly heavy drinking among people who consume alcohol and describe these trends as relevant to physical and mental health. Undetermined at this time.