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Addictions Week 2011 More drinkers, smokers than in south Laura Busch Northern News Services Published Monday, November 14, 2011
However, NWT residents spend much less than the national average on gambling and, while illicit drug use has increased in the NWT over the past few years, the use of illicit drugs (excluding cannabis) is much lower in the territory than it is in the rest of Canada. "It all ties back into the employment rates. The lower the employment rate is in the community, the higher issues they have with addictions," said NWT Minister of Health and Social Services Tom Beaulieu. "If you're unable to find a job, you're unable to provide for your family, depression will set in. I think that one way to deal with depression is to drink, so that's definitely a key factor." Though statistical surveys are not a perfect system - especially when analyzing a difficult issue such as addiction - Statistics Canada and other organizations that organize these studies work hard to make those surveyed as comfortable as possible. "There is no advantage for participants to present untruthful information," Health Canada told News/North in a written statement. "Participation in the survey is voluntary." Alcohol When comparing information from the 2009 NWT Addictions Survey with the Canadian Drug Use and Alcohol Monitoring Survey from the same year, the consumption of alcohol is statistically higher in the NWT than in the rest of Canada. The NWT is pretty much at the national average as far as percentage of the population who consume alcohol - 77 per cent of NWT residents versus 76.5 per cent of Canadians over the age of 15 reported consuming alcohol in the last year - but residents here consume more alcohol. Forty-three per cent of NWT drinkers consume five or more drinks when they do drink. This is compared with 5.1 per cent of Canadians who classified themselves as "frequent heavy drinkers" and 3.7 per cent who answered as "infrequent heavy drinkers." Also, in the NWT, 64 per cent of people aged 15 to 24 consume five or more drinks at once - and one in four do so at least once a week. Tobacco The number of NWT residents who smoked in 2009 is significantly lower than it was 15 years ago, the 2009 NWT Addictions Survey states. Thirty-six per cent reported smoking two years ago, compared with 44 per cent of the population who smoked tobacco in 1996. There was also what was called a "significant increase" in the percentage of people who have never smoked between 1996 and 2009. However, the NWT still has a much greater percentage of tobacco smokers compared with the rest of the country. In its 2010 Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey, Health Canada said that an average of 17 per cent of Canadians over the age of 15 smoke. Illicit drugs While cannabis and illicit drug use seems to be falling throughout Canada, in the NWT the use of these substances is on the rise, according to statistical data gathered by the territorial and federal governments. Lifetime users of cannabis in the NWT increased to 59 per cent from 53 per cent between 1999 and 2009. Eleven per cent of the population admitted to smoking pot at least once per week. In comparison, 42.4 per cent of Canadians said they had smoked marijuana sometime during their lifetimes. Health Canada classifies five different groups of illicit drugs other than cannabis: cocaine/crack, speed, ecstasy, hallucinogens and heroin. In the NWT, the use of these illicit drugs increased to four per cent in 2009 from two per cent in 2002. Gambling While a good majority of NWT residents gamble, they spend much less per capita every year than the national average. In its Gambling 2010 report, Statistics Canada's labour statistics division says that average gambling revenue in 2008 was $520 per person over the age of 18. The three territories were noted for spending the least amount of money per capita on gambling - at $115. The 2009 NWT Addictions Survey concludes that 78 per cent of NWT residents currently gamble, spending an average of $40 per week.
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