Mouth, Throat Cancer: Two More Reasons to Stop Drinking Today

What would you do if you knew that moderately drinking alcohol over the course of your lifetime would double your risk of getting cancer? Would you stop drinking right now or try to moderate how much you drank each day? Researchers from the Cancer Council of Victoria and the University of Melbourne recently released a study that demonstrates a direct link between lifelong moderate alcohol consumption and increased risk of cancers such as mouth and throat cancer.

The High Risk of Moderate Drinking

The study tracked the drinking patterns of 41,000 adults over the course of more than two decades. What the researchers found was astonishing. They discovered a direct link between the people who drank four or more drinks per day and the development of mouth and throat cancer.

In fact, it was found that those who drank four or more drinks per day were more than twice as likely to get mouth and/or throat cancer as those people who did not consume any alcohol. That makes you think twice about that extra glass of wine tonight, doesn’t it?

Knowing Your Limit

One reason the researchers identified as a cause for why lifetime alcohol consumption is dangerous to our health is that many people likely underestimate how much they actually drink. In an online poll, results showed that most people did not actually know the true size of one standard alcoholic drink. This leads researchers to believe that people are misinformed about their alcohol consumption. Many people probably do not realize how much they are actually drinking and how much of an increased risk they are putting themselves at for developing certain cancers due to the amount of their alcohol consumption.

Drinking in Moderation

Mouth and throat cancers are not the only cancers that have been found to be linked to long-term alcohol consumption. Connections have also been made between bowel and breast cancer and alcohol use. With such a strong relation identified between alcohol use and cancer, it is hard to ignore the warning signs. Researchers and health professionals recommend limiting yourself to two drinks per day in order to decrease your risk of developing cancer associated with drinking alcohol.

Kicking the Habit

The researchers from the Cancer Council of Victoria and the University of Melbourne have provided quite damning evidence for the dangerous effects of alcohol. Without question, they identified a direct link between alcohol use and getting cancer.

Even with such a strong connection being made, alcohol is still one of the hardest substances to get off of. If you or someone you know is trying to stop drinking and get sober, focus on the facts. Pay attention to the warning signs that great researchers like the ones from this study are producing. Scientific knowledge may be the solid basis that someone needs to kick start their journey to sobriety. While it can be hard to say no to one more drink, think about how hard it would be to be looking cancer in the face.

For help quitting alcohol, please contact a caring American Addiction Centers (AAC) representative free at . We are available to take your call at any time, day or night.

Additional Reading: 7 Tips to Boost Liver Health After Quitting Alcohol

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