Alcohol And Cancer Facts
Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. In 2020, about 10 million people died from cancer.
When we talk about the causes of cancer, we often talk about smoking and how it’s one of the most common causes of lung cancer.
But we rarely talk about the relationship between alcohol and cancer. So, does alcohol cause cancer?
This can be a complex question to answer, but we’re going to break it down. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know.
Does Alcohol Cause Cancer? Types of Cancer and Alcohol
The American Cancer Society names alcohol as one of the top preventable risk factors for cancer. In general, the more alcohol you drink, the more likely you may be to get cancer.
However, this doesn’t mean that excessive drinking will cause every single person to get cancer. Many other things determine this as well, such as genetics and other life circumstances.
For example, if you have a family history of cancer, you may be more cautious about your lifestyle choices to lower your risk of having cancer.
But cutting down your alcohol consumption can help prevent cancer, whether you have other risk factors or not.
Here are a few of the most common types of cancer often associated with drinking alcohol.
Mouth and Throat
The mouth and throat come into close contact with alcohol any time you drink, which can be harmful from repeated exposure.
Alcohol damages cells and tissue on the inside of the mouth and throat which can be harmful. The risk becomes even higher if you drink and smoke.
Alcohol essentially opens these cells up for those damaging chemicals in tobacco to enter.
Liver
One of the most common types of cancer associated with alcohol is liver cancer. If you regularly drink heavily, it can cause significant damage to the liver.
This damage can lead to scarring of the liver and inflammation.
It’s important to note that the alcohol itself may not cause liver cancer, but it’s more likely for liver damage to be a risk factor.
Esophagus
The National Cancer Institute states that any level of alcohol consumption is associated with esophageal cancer.
Drinking alcohol can cause someone to be up to five times more likely to develop this type of cancer. Similar to mouth and throat cancer, alcohol also may cause damage to the esophageal lining.
How to Get Sober
If you feel like it may be time for you to cut down on your drinking, it can be overwhelming to know what your next step is.
There are many benefits of sobriety that can improve your general health can well-being. Compared to the cons of alcohol, the benefits completely outweigh the disadvantages.
We’re not saying getting sober is an easy task, but you won’t regret it in the long run.
We provide an online coaching program that you can complete from home that offers helpful tips and tricks to use on your sobriety journey.
We’re Rooting for You
So, does alcohol cause cancer? We’ve learned that alcohol can increase the likelihood of getting cancer quite dramatically.
Cutting down on alcohol or getting sober can significantly decrease the chances.
If you visit our site and join our sobriety program, you can guarantee you have at least someone in your corner. Through different types of therapy and more, we take a holistic approach to gradually replace habits with healthier ones.
We hope you’ll visit our site today to find out more for yourself or a loved one who is struggling.
Don’t forget, every day we host a free quit drinking webinar to show you how easy this sober journey can be.
