A substance use disorder centered on alcohol can cause all sorts of problems. Ongoing alcohol use damages your mental health and your physical health. It can undermine your relationships, hurt your finances, and even lead to tragic accidents that might take someone’s life.
Given these realities, it might seem like no one should need any more motivation to seek out treatment. Nevertheless, we have another reason for giving up alcohol sooner rather than later: According to the surgeon general, it causes cancer.
The Surgeon General’s Warnings are Serious
You probably are aware of the kinds of warnings that appear on cigarettes and other tobacco products. Here is a sample from cigarette packaging:
Surgeon General’s Warning: Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, and May Complicate Pregnancy.
Surgeon General’s Warning: Cigarette Smoke Contains Carbon Monoxide.
Surgeon General’s Warning: Smoking By Pregnant Women May Result in Fetal Injury, Premature Birth, and Low Birth Weight.
Surgeon General’s Warning: Quitting Smoking Now Greatly Reduces Serious Risk to Your Health.
These warnings are, of course, intended to be taken seriously (and we certainly agree that you should give up smoking). That is true of the surgeon general’s new warning about the risks related to drinking alcohol.
Details of the New Guidance
A recent article in The New York Times by Roni Caryn Rabin reveals the new concerns about alcohol use and its connection to cancer diagnoses. Rabin gets straight to the point at the top of the article:
Alcohol is a leading preventable cause of cancer, and alcoholic beverages should carry a warning label as packs of cigarettes do, the U.S. surgeon general said on Friday.
As Rabin explains, we are talking about a huge number of cancer cases—and a shocking number of deaths: Alcohol directly contributes to 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 related deaths each year, the surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, said.
And the dangers are real—even for moderate drinkers. Again, from Rabin’s piece:
While most cancer deaths occur at drinking levels that exceed the current recommended dietary guidelines, the risk for cancers of the breast, the mouth, and the throat may rise with consumption of as little as one drink a day, or even less, Dr. Murthy said…Overall, one of every six breast cancer cases is attributable to alcohol consumption, Dr. Murthy said. More recent studies have also linked moderate alcohol consumption to certain forms of heart disease, including atrial fibrillation, a heart arrhythmia.
All of this might seem to fly in the face of the common idea that moderate drinking is associated with some positive health outcomes—and it does. The research connecting alcohol to cancer almost certainly outweighs any benefits previously associated with drinking.
Given This News, Here Are Some Next Steps
What you should do in response to the news that drinking and cancer are connected depends on your current relationship with alcohol.
If, for example, you are reading this post and do not currently drink, we would urge you not to start. The most effective way to reduce the risk of developing cancer as a result of alcohol use is to avoid alcohol use entirely. If you are not in the habit of drinking, you are doing yourself and your health a favor.
If you do consume alcohol—whether a little or a lot or somewhere in between—you should seriously consider giving it up. That might seem all but impossible given the way alcohol is strongly associated with a wide array of social situations. It can seem like alcohol is required at every dinner with friends, every trip to the ballpark or stadium, and every celebration. But the truth is you can enjoy all of those things—and many, many more—without drinking alcohol. Making that choice is a great way to support your health.
And if you have developed a substance use disorder due to ongoing alcohol use, we hope you will use this new information as yet another motivator for getting the help you need. If you have been putting off seeking out treatment for one reason or another, we would strongly encourage you to make a change. The right time to get treatment for a substance use disorder is always right now.
We Are Ready and Able to Help at The Farley Center
Located in Williamsburg, Virginia, The Farley Center is dedicated to providing evidence-based, personalized care to individuals struggling with a substance use disorder. Members of our team have personal experience facing the challenges of drug or alcohol addiction, and we understand how important it is to offer compassionate and effective treatment to those who are eager to reclaim their lives.
The Farley Center’s approach to recovery includes group therapy, individual therapy, relapse prevention, and 12-Step support groups. We offer inpatient, partial hospitalization, and intensive outpatient programs because we understand that each individual has different needs. We are committed to a holistic approach to care—meaning we take into account all aspects of the human experience as we craft your treatment plan.
When you are ready to leave drugs or alcohol behind, we are ready to help.
