There are 54 alcohol-related emergency room visits every day in Quebec

2024-08-09 04:00:00

According to data obtained by Le Devoir, there were an average of 54 emergency room visits a day in Quebec last year, with the main diagnosis being alcohol-related. Although less frequently mentioned, the number is almost twice as high as the number of drug-related medical visits.

“In society, drinking alcohol is less stigmatized and less valued than drug use,” said Dr. Guillaume Lacombe, vice-president of the Quebec Association of Emergency Medicine Specialists.

According to data transmitted by the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS), from 2023 to 2024, there were 19,815 emergency room visits with primary alcohol-related diagnoses. More than half of the visitors are between the ages of 30 and 54.

If pandemic year figures should be treated with caution because of the impact COVID-19 may have had on the number of emergency consultations, these figures are relatively stable (21,063) in 2023-2024 compared with 2019-2020, before the health crisis.

Dr. Lacombe, an emergency physician at the Lanaudiere Regional Hospital Center, said the number of such consultations “seems to still be high.” “A large proportion of these visits are avoidable,” said the man, who is also a toxicologist.

According to data provided by the Ministry of Health, between 2023 and 2024, there were 10,025 drug-related emergency room visits. However, these numbers increased slightly, with 9,747 in 2019-2020.

Dr Marie-Ève ​​Goyer, medical director of homelessness and dependency services at the Center for Integrated University Health and Social Services Sud (CIUSSS), said there was a particular problem with powerful drugs in circulation and/or being contaminated with other substances. . “Some reports indicate that cocaine contains fentanyl. Therefore, even people who think they are not using opioids may be using them without knowing it. »

However, the MSSS stresses that it is difficult to accurately quantify the gap between emergency visits for alcohol and those for drugs. “In many cases, a person may go to the hospital because of alcohol and drug abuse. Therefore, it is difficult for medical staff to accurately determine which substance is related to the patient’s condition. »

Easier to obtain, but still risky

The difference between the number of alcohol-related visits and the number of drug-related visits could be explained in particular by the fact that alcoholic beverages are more readily available than narcotics, Dr. Lacombe said.

However, drinking alcohol can have serious consequences, he continued. “You may get poisoned in the short term, or fall down the stairs, etc. [Parfois]it can reach ethyl coma. »

Dr Guillaume Lacombe said the data provided by the ministry on such emergency consultations was just the “tip of the iceberg”. According to him, more and more people are coming to the hospital for reasons related to these substances.

Toxicologists gave the example of a patient who hurt himself with a glass because he was drunk. “He probably didn’t mention drinking before he came to the hospital. He would end up in the waiting room for three, four or five hours, and by the time I saw him, he was sober,” he explained.

Martin Page, general manager of the Montreal organization Dopamine, noted that the ministry’s data on narcotics also do not include poisonings that are directly treated in supervised consumption settings.

More prevention

According to the website of Quebec’s National Institute of Public Health, per capita alcohol consumption in Quebec has remained relatively stable since 2013-2014. However, it “remains higher than the Canadian average over the past sixteen years.”

Kim Brière-Charest, director of the psychoactive substances program at the Quebec Public Health Association, believes more preventive measures are needed to ensure a better understanding of the risks and reduce alcohol-related emergency visits.

Ms Brière-Charest stressed that the stigmatization of alcohol is an important issue. One of the problems, she said, is that because alcohol is legal, it’s rarely considered a psychoactive substance. However, it is true, she said. “Without demonizing alcohol, we still have to review the information that is available and put forward to ensure that ultimately people are consuming alcohol while being aware of its health effects. »

Jean-Sébastien Fallu, an associate professor at the School of Psychoeducation at the University of Montreal, pointed out that there are “inconsistencies” in the way society treats alcohol and drugs. “On the one hand, we belittle or even glorify drinking, which leads people to drink more or perhaps not take it seriously enough; on the other hand, we stigmatize those who use drugs. »

“Different substances are not necessarily the same and cannot be treated in the same way in public policy. However, we need oversight and a more consistent view of substances across substances,” added the man who specializes in addiction.

Christian Dubé, from the Office of the Minister of Health, stressed in an interview with Le Devoir that the MSSS “is continuing to carry out information and awareness campaigns targeting young people about the risks of drinking alcohol”. “Alcohol consumption, like a variety of other risk factors, is part of the ongoing discussion to improve prevention in Quebec,” wrote Julie Drolet, communications advisor for the MSSS.

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