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In case of payment of excise duty on Mental Health Programs? Do the Math

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Improving the mental health system
According to a press release dated, was the 9th May 2006, in the Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology in Canada, has recommended the creation of a Canadian Mental Health Commission responsible for a significant improvement the Canadian Mental Health System. As Senator Michael Kirby, chairman of the committee, “The Committee of the Senate, he says, is to improve delivery, quality and organization of health and support services, by the tens of thousands of Canadians living with mental illness and addictions are required are required. “
The financing of the proposed amendment
Based on an extensive study of three years on mental health and addiction, the Committee has determined to be 5.36 billion U.S. dollars over a period of 10 years, the cost of this psychic system upgrade. Where will this money come from? The Committee believes that the revenue will come from higher excise duties on alcoholic drinks by 5 cents per drink.
Part of the reason for the increase of 5 cents for each drink is of course the goal of raising the funds required for proposed changes in the mental health system. Another factor to justify the price increase, however, was the fact that there is going to cost Canadians more than any alcoholic beverage will be more likely to drink low alcohol products, such as wine and beer instead of liquor.
Let’s Do The Math
At first glance, this proposal seems reasonable. Why not those who are helping to drink finance a program that provides them with a better system of mental health? Why not let those who are part of the “problem” of the “Resolution”? The logic seems reasonable, until you do the math. If 5.36 billion U.S. dollars are needed to fund the mental health system expands, how many drinks must be consumed during the period of ten years to reach 5.36 billion U.S. dollars of dollars? The answer: 107,200,000,000 drinks. The drink 107 billion, 200 million.
As many drinks are born every year is all we do is divide this number by 10 (for the program for ten years) and the result is 10,720,000,000 This word is still a large number, which, fortunately, massages like ” more. According to the World Factbook Web site, the population in Germany has been estimated that 33 million people in 2006. 10720000000 dividend of 33000000 corresponds to 325 Put in a way that the average person can understand, every man, woman and child in Canada consume up to 325 drinks per year for the next ten years, and to fund new mental health! In short, these figures are realistic.
More Flaws
The “logic” of the proposed program mental health breaks down when examined even more thoroughly. For example, it could be because people drink less alcohol products such as beer, if necessary, the increase in excise tax on all alcoholic beverages? To better understand this, we use an example. Suppose that the costs, the average intake in Canada is $ 3.00 and the average cost of beer $ 1.00. On the basis of the proposed price increase, if Joe will drink an average of 5 shots a week, spending on average weekly consumption of alcohol will be $ 15.25. For the calculation of numbers, these figures more at 1.7% of Joe would have moved the first proposal to increase taxes. Do a similar exercise with beer. Based on the expected price increase, if Pete is an average of 5 drinks of beer per week, the average weekly expenditure for consumption of alcohol is $ 5.25. For the calculation of numbers, these figures for the 5% would be more than Pete moved the first proposal for tax increases. The trick, since the price increase proposed refers to products of higher alcohol (such as shots) comparatively less than their counterparts lower alcohol) (such as beer, why Canadians should shift to more alcohol products ?
Alcohol and Mental Health

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Studies Now Show Negative Calorie Foods Weight Loss Programs are Unhealthy

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Finally, it’s your chance to get everything you ever wanted out of a diet pill — fast reliable weight loss, incredible energy, a blissful contented mood, a lean firm body, and the magnetic self-confidence you’ve always wanted. You will not be disappointed. Chitosan appears to be ineffective for weight loss and should also be discouraged. The use of guar gum for weight loss should be discouraged because of its lack of efficacy. So give stevia a try, you will be so happy that you did and it will really help with weight loss.


Lots of information reads like this.


If you’re fighting against overweight or obesity, then making a fat-burning weight loss supplement may be just what you need to tip the scale in your favor. Fat-burning weight loss supplements fire up your metabolism to increase your body’s ability to utilize stored body fat for energy . The Weight Loss Tracker is a free tool that you can add to your Diet web site to let visitors keep track of their daily calorie intake, and ultimately how much fat weight they are losing. Using a scale to determine fat weight loss is not very accurate because of changes in water weight and muscle gain, so the best way to keep track is to determine the difference in how many calories are required vs.


Many people believe the myth that eating less will result in weight loss. The truth is that when we restrict our food intake we are at risk for gaining weight.


Bariatric surgery is the term used for any surgical procedure intended to promote weight loss. Many health professionals view this procedure as a viable avenue to addressing a serious health condition in obese adults who have struggled to lose large amounts of body weight. Presto, weight loss will happen. But what did you lose? To lose weight or maintain a weight loss, you may need to do more than 30 minutes of physical activity a day, as well as follow your healthy eating plan.


Where is an over weight or obese person to turn when they realise they need weight loss help? Are there any “one size fits all” diet plan solutions to weight loss?


The first 3-4 weeks your body will begin to adapt to the lifestyle change and you will begin to see some weight loss.


While supplemements may help to suppress your appetite, you still need to diet and exercise for optimal results.


In a new study, a University of Missouri researcher and collaborators at the University of Kansas found that the potentially harmful effects of weight loss on bone persist during weight maintenance following moderate weight loss. Now, instead of striving for weight loss alone, you’ll have a personal coach helping you to avoid pitfalls and encouraging you every step of the way. It can be hard to talk about weight loss.


I mean, let’s be honest, the world of dieting is fraught with half-truths and guilt, not unlike a cult. You just buy one recipe book, and before you know it, you’ve been indoctrinated into the Way Of The Broccoli, or the Clan Of The Calorie Combuster, and two weeks later, you’re face down in some Haagen-Dazs. Dieting is the same thing. Here is the one big difference. All these are serious health issues and dieting is one of the best ways to combat obesity.


To read mor visit http://www.GoodHealthInfo.info


Recent surveys indicate that many dieters more than 80 percent of women and 75 percent of men eat fewer calories in their efforts to shed a few pounds. In addition, some dieting is boring. Usually the food is boring, bland, unimaginative and, often, outright disgusting.


This provides that additional physical activity for a certain level of dieting is prevented and raised, respectively, in order to achieve a best possible and healthy diet mode. The discomfort of dieting is most often cited by failed dieters as the reason for discontinuing their diet. Thus, it makes sense that curbing the appetite may be the best way to promote a successful weight loss regimen. The idea behind low-carbohydrate dieting is to restrict the amount of carbs you eat and increase the amount of protein and fat. In other words, eating a low-carb diet would allow you to indulge in a cheeseburger but you must order it without the bun.


I don’t think dieting is good for anyone, but I think it’s especially hard on growing bodies. Studies now show that dieting is the precursor to developing deadly diseases. Dieting alienates us from the natural process of hunger and sets us up for the real physical side effects of dieting, resulting in women and men who have learned to ignore their own “survival mechanisms” and literally starve and binge themselves to death. So, why is it that dieting is so hard? Like any substance that enters the body, your body becomes accustomed to certain levels of sugars, proteins, calories, and so on, so when you go on the diet, your body isn’t getting what its used to. Your body then complains to you, by making you feel hungry, nauseous, sleepiness, and many other symptoms .


More results are found here: http://www.GoodHealthInfo.info

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Which Weight Loss Programs Work Best?

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With so many weight loss programs in the market these days it can become very difficult to work out which one to go for. The reality is most of these weight loss programs will work, however it is a matter of working out which one will work best for you. The bad news is that there are no magical program that will make all your weight just drop off, but there certainly are many options that do work.

Weight loss programs can be broken down into 4 areas. These weight loss programs include:

- diet/weight loss pills

- meal replacements

- fad diets or weight loss programs

- long term lifestyle weight loss programs.

Diet pills have become very popular in the last 10 years and certainly to some degree have shown success. Diet pills work by three different means: appetite suppressant, increased metabolism rate or decreased fat solubility. The problem is that no diet pill is without side effects. These can range from stomach cramps to diarrhoea and nausea. Without proper nutrition they can be quite dangerous and so as far as weight loss programs go it they are not a great idea.

Meal replacements have been around for more than 10 years as weight loss programs however they have now started to become better accepted in the dietetics community. Some of the meal replacement weight loss programs include Tony Ferguson weight loss and Kate Morgan weight loss programs. It is important for meal replacement weight loss programs that you substitute your other meals with plenty of fruit and vegetables, to make sure you are getting enough essential nutrients. These drinks can tend to become quite bland so at times it can be difficult to maintain. However there is a lot of positive results found for people who can stick to them.

Fad diets have been around since the dawn of time and there are always new and fantastic weight loss programs on the market. The thing to be most mindful of is that whilst many of these weight loss programs will work, very few of them will have lasting results. Most of these weight loss programs are highly calorie restricted and can cause the body to go into starvation mode. This has the effect of eating the body’s muscle and then putting it back on as fat when the diet is finished. Fad diets can work in the short term but be careful to use them as long term solutions.

The best weight loss programs are ones that promote long term weight loss. These generally require harder work but once a lifestyle shift occurs the long term results can be amazing. These types of weight loss programs include a balanced diet, with at least 2 servings of fruit and five vegetables everyday. They also include the required servings of protein, carbohydrates, diary and fat. Successful weight loss programs also include some form of regular exercise as even in moderate amounts exercise has a huge positive impact on health.

The type of weight loss program to go for really depends on your end goal, but if you are looking for long terms results, it is always best to go for the healthy long term approach. It may not be as glamorous as the other weight loss programs, but if you stick to it the results will speak for themselves.

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Free Weight Loss Programs – Simple Ways to be Healthier

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Free Weight Loss programs are ideal for people who want to lose weight and either don’t want to spend money or budget for it. Free weight loss programs work when they are sensible and part of your overall health management regime.

Weight loss programs deal with the two major components of weight loss:

Diet or calorie intake

Exercise

By changing these two factors of your free weight loss program, you will be able to manage your weight better and see some results in a relatively short time.

When beginning on your free weight loss program, remember to start with the weight loss plan gradually. This is not a rollercoaster ride where you can be stagnant and be moving in a second (even rollercoaster rides need preparation). It will take time for both your body and mind to adjust to the changes in your lifestyle and food intake.

Find weight loss programs that are suitable for you. Programs that do not fit your lifestyle or force you to form new habits that conflict with your personality, you are more likely to quit when you hit these obstacles, rather than working through them and adjusting. Part of the reason for weight gain is psychological and therefore this must be addressed along with any easy weight loss diet that is being used.

Here are some ways you can build your own free weight loss program:

Your Free Weight Loss Program Diet Tip

People tend to eat more when they have a larger variety of foods they can select from. Taking a portion from each dish can quickly add up to a huge meal. With the different tastes and sensations of each dish, a person can be seduced into eating more than they should.

A simple way to control your diet is through portion control. In most cases, the food that you are eating will probably already be what you need. The problem tends to be larger than necessary portions. By simply cutting your portions in half or reducing your portion size, you are already reducing the amount of calories you are consuming.

Because weight loss in most cases is the simple formula of expending more calories than you consume, reducing your calorie intake already puts you ahead in the game. The great part about portion control is you don’t have to entirely miss out on your favorite foods. You can still eat them, but in smaller portions.

Free Weight Loss Exercise Tips

In many cases, people live sedentary lifestyles. Unless your work involves a lot of physical labor, the majority of people today sit in front of their computers, behind their desks doing paperwork, or making phone calls. While there is physical activity, it’s usually limited.

One free and simple way to increase the level of your exercise is to take a walk every day. You can go on your own, or together with your spouse or partner. Taking the stairs instead of the lift will also help increase the rate at which you burn calories. Don’t laugh at this, because if you’re not doing anything at all even a small change like walking will help you get started on your weight loss program!

Walking to lose weight is one way you can immediately incorporate into your lifestyle. Over time, as you start to drop the pounds from the combination of diet and exercise, you may want to add sports or even running into your lifestyle. Start the momentum of exercising in your life, and you will be amazed at how much difference there is at the end of one year!

Other Tips In Your Free Weight Loss Program

Research proves when you track your nutrition, you are more likely to reach your diet and health goals. It will take a little while you get comfortable with writing down everything you eat and drink. This helps to bring into your awareness what you think you are doing with what you are doing in reality.

The more aware you are of what you eat and its effects on your body, the more likely you will become conscious of the types and portions of the food you eat. The more aware of how lazy or sedentary your lifestyle is, the more likely you will want to start moving and exercising.

Keep a journal of your weight loss program. When you start, it’ll be a lot easier to set realistic goals that you have control over. For example, instead of setting a goal of losing 10 pounds in 2 days, set a goal of reducing your meal portions by one third or half for the next week.

These are targets you can do, because the amount of actual weight loss is outside of your control. By changing your lifestyle in terms of diet and exercise, not only will you start to lose weight and build a better body, it’s something that will be permanent and healthy for you the rest of your life.

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Online Weight Loss Programs: How They Work

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If you are interested in losing weight, you may have thought about joining a local weight loss program or visiting a local weight loss center. Unfortunately, if you are like many other individuals who are interested in losing weight, you may not necessarily have the time to do so. Whether you have a demanding job, a family to take care of, or both, you may find it impossible to meet up with a local weight loss group on a regular basis. If that is the case, you may be thinking that achieving your weight loss goal is simply out of reach, but it doesn’t have to be.

What many individuals do not know is that they can join an online weight loss program. Online weight loss programs are similar to many locally operated weight loss programs. Often times, the only difference is that you do not get to meet with group leaders or other members in person. If you are searching for a way to incorporate weight loss into your busy schedule, you are urged to examine online weight loss programs. These online weight loss programs are designed for all individuals, but they are perfect for those who regularly find themselves pressed for time.

When it comes to online weight loss programs, you will find that these online weight loss programs come in a number of different formats. For starters, it is possible to find free online weight loss programs; however, you will likely find that the best ones require the paying of a membership fee. Although each weight loss program is likely to vary, many have affordable monthly membership rates, some as low as five dollars a month. It is also possible to find weight loss programs that are designed for women, men, those over the age of fifty, and so forth.

If you have never joined an online weight loss program before, you may be wondering a little bit more about how they work. As previously stated, not all online weight loss programs are the same. With that in mind, however, you will find that many operate in similar matters. A few of the many member perks that you may get, when joining an online weight loss program, are outlined below.

One of the many perks or benefits to joining an online weight loss program is that you should get access to workout or exercise information. Many online weight loss programs will give you access to their website, which should have exercises and workouts outlined for you. You should be able to get detailed directions for those exercises, pictures, and possibly even sample videos. Some more expensive online weight loss programs will give you access to customize workouts, ones which focus on the areas of your body that you would most like to improve.

Another member perk or feature that you should get access to with an online weight loss program is that of healthy recipes. Healthy eating is an important part of weight loss. That is why many online weight loss programs have a healthy eating section. Not only may you get healthy food recipes, but you may also get moneysaving coupons, as well as cooking and food shopping tips.

As previously stated, often times the only difference between a locally operated weight loss program and an online program is the fact that you do not get to meet with the group leaders or other group members in person. With online weight loss programs, you may not get in-person contact, but you may still be able to communicate. Many online weight loss programs have online message boards for their members to communicate with each other.

As a reminder, it is important to remember that not all online weight loss programs are the same. Despite the possibility of a variance, you should find that most online weight loss programs are more than worth your money, especially if you regularly find yourself pressed for time.

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The Pitfalls of Weight Loss Programs and Diets

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Most diet and weight loss programs have a depressingly high failure rate, with people either never reaching their weight goals or reaching them and regaining all the weight they lost (and sometimes more) in about one year.

Getting the weight off fast is so desirable that many of us are willing to sacrifice health and ignore common sense in the hope that some new weight loss program or scheme will work. This pipe dream can unfortunately outweigh the negative consequences. So let’s examine the downside of dieting.

What Is An Unhealthy Weight Loss Program?

* Any weight loss program that is not nutritionally sound;

* One that works against what the body naturally needs like vitamins, minerals, and a minimum number of calories a day;

* One that requires you to go without eating (for example, fasting or meal replacement drinks);

* One that puts your body into an unnatural state, such as starvation or ketosis.

Your body can only lose a few pounds a week on a consistent basis. If you lose more than that initially, it’s likely just water loss. So any weight loss program that promises you will lose five pounds a week, or 25 pounds in 3 weeks, is guaranteeing you will be losing water and muscle mass not fat.

Almost every popular weight loss program out there falls into one of the following diet categories: low calorie diets, meal replacement drinks, packaged foods, unbalanced nutrients, and ketosis diets. Let’s see how they stack up.

LOW CALORIE DIETS

Whenever you drastically reduce your calories, the body enters an unnatural state and its defenses kick in. So when calories drop below, say, 1000 calories a day, your metabolism will shut down in an effort to conserve energy. And weight loss with a sluggish metabolism is very difficult.

Your body will start using muscle tissue to provide energy, which again leads to a decrease in the metabolism. Taken to an extreme, the body will break down its vital parts (such as the heart muscle) trying to meet its energy needs.

In addition to these drawbacks, trying to maintain the weight loss over time is nearly impossible because your body is now used to making do with very few calories. Going back to “normal” eating causes the weight to pile back on.

For this reason, low cal weight loss programs rarely work over the long haul.

MEAL REPLACEMENT DRINKS

One of the most unnatural things for your body is to go without solid food, which is what meal replacement plans ask it to do. Some people think that dieting will be easier if they aren’t confronted with daily food choices and the pounds will just fall off. This may be true while they are on the liquid diet. But what about afterwards?

Where will the good eating habits come from after you’ve lost the weight? This is something that takes time, practice and knowledge. Dieters need to establish a healthy attitude towards a life-long eating plan. And no “fad” weight loss program or liquid lunch can help you with that.

Getting hooked on meal replacements can become a destructive way to view food. It often leads dieters to fear food or binge to “feed” their cravings after a long period of deprivation. And that’s just the psychological side of the equation.

The lack of fiber in such weight loss programs can be a threat to good physical health. And when the body is denied enough solid food, the intestines go into overdrive absorbing calories and nutrients. This helps you during the diet period, but later it makes it much easier to regain the weight.

Another yo-yo weight loss program that hurts you in the end.

UNBALANCED NUTRIENT PLAN

Be cautious about any weight loss program that has strict rules about good foods and bad foods. Sure, high fat and high sugar foods might be considered bad for the waistline, but moderation not abstinence is key to success.

Why? Because eating the same foods every day (say, grapefruit or high protein meals) is going to result in two things: nutritional imbalance and boredom.

All foods are made up of the same nutrients in different amounts: fat, carbohydrates, and protein. It is the right proportion of these nutrients that will bring about weight loss – not the avoidance of “bad” foods and the consumption of only “good” or magical foods.

In the world of dieting, no one food or nutrient group is magical. Variety and moderation are the keys to a healthy diet and a successful weight loss program.

PACKAGED FOODS

To stay at your ideal body weight, you have to learn how to make proper food choices. By following a packaged food weight loss program you are postponing the inevitable, and spending plenty of $$$ in the process.

Another problem with this kind of weight loss program is that the foods provided are not always healthy. Read the package label and you will see chemicals, preservatives, sodium, sugar and saturated fats. And when all you can eat is packaged food, how do you plan meals with other people? Going out to restaurants and parties and enjoying family meals becomes a big hassle.

Your weight loss program then becomes a burden, not only to you, but to those around you.

KETOSIS DIETS

Ketosis has been defined as:

“An abnormal condition marked by excessive production of ketone bodies. Often caused by high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets such as the Atkins diet.”

Atkins and certain other weight loss programs are based on the principle of restricting carbohydrates to the point that the body enters into ketosis. On the surface, a ketogenic diet seems to work for two reasons: First, you’ll lose large amounts of weight, which is very pleasing to the dieter. Secondly, you don’t experience hunger.

But there are serious drawbacks. Your weight goes down due to water loss (which occurs when you restrict carbohydrates) and a loss of lean muscle tissue. This is NOT true, lasting weight loss.

The loss of appetite comes from having ketones building up in the body, which can harm your health. Side effects of a ketosis weight loss program can include fatigue, kidney stones, gout, and muscle loss. The longer you follow such a diet, the greater the risk to your health.

Clearly not a wise choice of weight loss program, not for the short term or the long.

WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM QUESTIONNAIRE

There are always new weight loss programs coming onto the market and going in and out of style. To evaluate if a weight loss program is healthy and sensible for you, ask yourself the following questions:

* Is the plan nutritionally sound?

* Will it help improve my weight, metabolism, cholesterol level, blood pressure, energy level, and general health?

* Will I be eating real food and not have to buy special formulas, drinks, etc?

* Will I be eating a wide variety of foods rather than just a few “diet” foods?

* Am I allowed to have some treats and eat my favorite foods?

* Can I eat out in restaurants, have a glass of wine with dinner, or some dessert?

* Can I follow this weight loss program without it interfering with my lifestyle?

* Can I lose weight without feeling hungry?

* Will l develop eating habits for life-long weight control with this weight loss program?

* Is this the last diet I will ever need to finally reach and maintain my ideal weight?

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Should Alcohol Taxes Pay for Mental Health Programs? Do the Math

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Improving the Mental Health System

According to a news release that was dated May 9, 2006, the “Standing Senate Committee On Social Affairs, Science and Technology” in Canada recommended the creation of a Canadian Mental Health Commission that will be responsible for significantly upgrading the Canadian mental health system. As stated by Senator Michael Kirby, the Chair of the Committee, “The Senate Committee is committed to improving the range, quality and organization of health and support services that are required by the tens of thousands of Canadians who are living with mental illnesses and addictions.”

Funding The Proposed Change

Based on an extensive three-year study on mental health and addiction, the Committee determined that it will cost $5.36 billion over a 10-year period for this mental health system upgrade. Where will these funds come from? According to the Committee, the revenue will come from raising the excise tax on alcoholic drinks by 5 cents per drink.

Part of the rationale for the 5-cent increase per drink was obviously the goal of raising the needed funds for the proposed changes in the mental health system. Another justifying factor for the price increase, however, was the fact that since each alcoholic drink will cost more, Canadians will be more inclined to drink lower-alcohol products such as beer and wine instead of liquor.

Let’s Do the Math

At first glance, this proposal seems to make sense. Why shouldn’t those who drink help finance a program that will provide them with a better mental health system? Why not let those who are part of the “problem” become part of the “solution”? This logic seems sound until you do the math. If $5.36 billion is needed to help finance the upgraded mental health system, then how many drinks will have to be consumed in a ten-year period to reach $5.36 billion dollars? The answer: 107,200,000,000 drinks. That’s 107 billion, 200 million drinks.

To arrive at how many drinks this is per year, all we have to do is divide this number by 10 (for the ten-year program) and the result is 10,720,000,000. This is still a huge number that fortunately can be “massaged” even more. According to The World Factbook website, the population of Canada was estimated to be 33 million people in 2006. Dividing 10,720,000,000 by 33,000,000 equals 325. Putting this in terms that the average person can understand, every man, woman, and child in Canada will have to consume 325 alcoholic drinks per year for the next ten years to finance the new mental health system! Simply put, these numbers are not realistic.

More Flaws

The “logic” of this proposed mental health program also breaks down when it is examined more deeply. For instance, why would people drink lower-alcohol products such as beer if the increased excise tax applies to all alcoholic drinks? To help understand this better, let’s use an example. Let’s say that the average shot in Canada currently costs $3.00 and the average beer costs $1.00. Based on the proposed price increase, if Joe drinks an average of 5 shots per week, his weekly average alcohol expenditure will be $15.25. When the numbers are calculated, this figures out to be 1.7% more than Joe would have spent before the proposed tax increase. Let’s do a similar exercise with beer. Based on the projected price increase, if Pete drinks an average of 5 beers per week, his weekly average alcohol expenditure will be $5.25. When the numbers are calculated, this figures out to be 5% more than Pete would have spent before the proposed tax increase. The point: since the proposed price increase affects higher-alcohol products (such as shots) proportionately less than their lower-alcohol counterparts (such as beer), why would Canadians switch to lower-alcohol products?

Alcohol and Mental Health

Another question. What if tens of thousands of Canadians, realizing that drinking alcohol is not good for their “mental health,” significantly reduce their alcohol intake or quit drinking alcoholic beverages altogether? Where will the money come from to offset this lack of revenue? In a similar manner, what if thousands upon thousands of Canadians who drink alcoholic beverages decide that they don’t want to pay the extra excise tax and, as a result, stop drinking alcoholic beverages? If this happens, where will the government get the money needed to transform the mental health system? In other words, does the Canadian government have a realistic “plan B” for this major transformation?

A Logical Contradiction

From a different perspective, isn’t it rather ironic that those who drink alcoholic beverages will pay for the revamped mental health system? Isn’t there a contradiction in logic somewhere in this proposal? Stated differently, if tens of thousands of Canadians have mental illnesses or are addicted to alcohol or drugs, wouldn’t the government want Canadians to drink LESS alcohol in order to reduce the existing alcohol abuse, alcoholism, and alcohol-related mental health problems? Yet according to the current mental health proposal, from strictly a financial standpoint, it would appear that the Canadian government is banking the entire mental health system upgrade on historical data that strongly suggests that Canadians will continue to drink at their current or even higher levels of consumption.

Budgetary Miscalculations

What happens, for instance, if there are cost overruns in the proposed mental health system? There are, of course, two “easy” solutions to this problem: increase the excise tax on each drink or motivate Canadians to drink even more alcoholic beverages. Either “solution,” however, is predicated on the fact that in order to “work,” the upgraded mental health system needs to be funded by Canadians who continue to drink alcoholic beverages.

Conclusion

It appears logical to conclude that the Canadian mental health system is in need of a major overhaul. As with most comprehensive government programs, however, the issue of funding becomes a major obstacle to overcome. The proposed Canadian mental health system upgrade is no exception. Based on the reasons given above, it seems obvious that the Canadian government needs to come up with alternate sources of revenue generation for this worthwhile project. Indeed, to point out one of the major “flaws” in the current proposal, consider the following question: When is more drinking a “good thing?” Answer: when it finances a nationwide mental health system upgrade. Something tells me that Andy Rooney from “60 Minutes” would have a lot of fun with this.

Copyright 2007 – Denny Soinski. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, and give the author credit.

Denny Soinski, Ph.D, writes about alcohol rehab and problem drinking, alcohol addiction, alcohol testing, alcoholism, alcohol abuse and health hazards, alcohol recovery, alcohol treatment, and alcohol abuse. For more information, please visit employee alcohol testing right away.

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