Philippe Morin
Northern News Services
Monday, May 14, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - The 2006 NWT Addictions survey depicts the NWT as a place where fewer people are drinking overall, but more people are drinking to excess.

It's a strange juxtaposition, said NWT Territorial Statistician Angelo Cocco, who has worked on the project since 1998.

The survey, which is compiled by the NWT bureau of statistics and available online, increasing numbers of women are swearing off alcohol entirely.

The number of drinkers aged 15 to 24 has also decreased, albeit slightly, though more men are drinking overall.

"When we look at current drinkers, the overall trend is relatively flat. But when you look at males, the trend is up slightly from 1996," Cocco said, pointing to a three-percent climb from 80 to 83.4 per cent.

"The opposite is true for females. In 1996, 77.1 per cent had a drink in the past 12 months, while this was 71.4 per cent in 2006., he said.

Cocco said the total amount of young drinkers has also decreased by several per cent since the 90s.

In 1996, 87.4 per cent of residents aged 15 to 24 admitted to having at least one drink in the past year. However, that proportion declined to 79.8 per cent by 2006. This means two of ten young people across the territory don't drink at all, according to the survey.

While the number of alcohol-free people has increased in the decade, the survey also reported heavier drinking.

Cocco said 36 per cent of residents over 15 admitted having five or more drinks in one sitting last year, which is an increase of three per cent since 1996. About one in three people in the NWT also reported drinking alcohol more than once a week.

"Overall, there's been a slight upward trend," he said.

Cocco said the survey has been conducted four times, in 1996, 2002, 2004 and 2006.

The most recent survey was done by telephone in Yellowknife, Hay River, Inuvik and Fort Smith, while residents of smaller communities of the NWT received visits from pollsters.

While the methods are considered reliable and thousands of people were interviewed, Cocco said, there are two factors which always skew the results. One is bragging about drinking, and the other is shame.

"There's always the chance that people are hesitant to report, and there's also the likelihood that people over-report. You know, the young male bravado of alluding to the fact they can drink more or smoke more marijuana," he said. The survey also covers drug use.

"We go on the assumption that these two cancel each other out."