Alcohol is a Group 1 carcinogen.

This is no secret so why aren't more people talking about this?

Just in case you needed confirmation that sobriety is a great lifestyle choice, or you simply need yet another compelling reason not to drink, I’m here to remind (or inform you anew) that alcohol is a carcinogen.

Alcohol is Group 1 carcinogen, as classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). You know what this means, right? That drinking alcohol causes cancer. Public awareness of alcohol as a carcinogen is astonishingly low despite alcohol consumption being directly linked to seven types of cancer.

The IARC first classified alcoholic beverages as carcinogenic thirty-five years ago, back in 1988! Group 1 of the carcinogen classification system lists all the agents known to pose the highest risk to humans. There is no group worse than Group 1 when it comes to cancer-causing agents. Alongside alcohol, Group 1 also includes asbestos, radiation and tobacco.

I wouldn’t blame you for thinking that if you don’t drink very much then the risk to you is negligible. Most of the time news reports and social attitudes assume that the negative effects of drinking are only an issue for binge drinkers or heavy drinkers. However, it is now very clear that any amount of alcohol consumption can harm your health.

In January this year, the WHO published the following statements:

No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health.

When it comes to alcohol consumption, there is no amount that does not affect health.

But wait, I hear you cry! What about those studies that claim that a small amount of alcohol can actually be good for you (we’ve all read them!). The experts firmly disagree. The official scientific position now is that any potential benefit alcohol consumption may have on your health will be outweighed by the risk of cancer that drinking that same alcohol poses. The more you drink the higher your risk of developing cancer but drinking just one glass of wine a day does everything that binge drinking does, just on a smaller scale. It’s also important to note that the price and the quality of the alcohol drink has no bearing on its negative impact on your health. Sorry (not sorry).

Alcohol fundamentally damages your DNA. Alcohol is metabolised in the body into a chemical called acetaldehyde which is toxic to cells. Acetaldehyde both damages your DNA and prevents your body from repairing the damage. Once your DNA is damaged, a cell can grow unchecked and create a cancer tumour.

The seven cancers that alcohol is directly linked to are of the oesophagus, liver, (female) breast, colon, rectum, mouth and throat (pharynx and larynx). Three more types of cancer, gastric, pancreatic and lung, are being considered for inclusion on the list of cancers caused by alcohol consumption.

The United States and UK government guidelines on alcohol consumption are similar. The US suggests no more than 2 drinks a day for men and 1 drink a day for women. The UK advises men and women not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis. However, there is growing evidence that consuming alcohol in line with this advice is still putting people at risk of developing cancer. The latest data indicates that half of all alcohol attributable cancers in the WHO European region were diagnosed in people who only consumed alcohol on a light to moderate level. As well as the WHO, some concerned parties have taken note and revised their guidelines! In 2020 the American Cancer Society revised its guidance to state that cutting alcohol out completely is best for cancer reduction and prevention. And the Canadian Government issued new alcohol consumption guidelines this year stating that Canadians should aim to drink no more than two drinks per week, but ideally should not drink alcohol at all.

In even more depressing news for drinkers, it’s not just cancer you need to worry about. Alcohol consumption contributes to a raft of health problems including diabetes, liver disease, high blood pressure, stroke and coronary heart disease. Just two units of alcohol a day (or less, according to some studies) shrinks and ages the brain, leading to cognitive decline and memory problems.

And there’s our mental health to consider too! Drinking alcohol may make you feel happier in the short term but if you drink regularly, your mood will be lower long-term because alcohol blocks serotonin levels in the long-term. And even by drinking small amounts on a regular basis your core cortisol (stress hormone) levels will be elevated when you are not drinking. So, drinking regularly may seem like a nice way to wind down after work but in the long-term it is increasing your anxiety and stress levels and potentially making you feel depressed. Which puts the wheels in motion for you looking forward to that relaxing drink at the end of the day. And so, the cycle continues.

Honestly, after reading this don’t you just think, why would you do that to yourself?

Next time someone asks you why you don’t drink, you could always ask them why they do drink given how bad it is for our health!

I hope you have found this edition of My Secret Sobriety informative. Thank you for reading! Your support is very much appreciated.

Yours in sobriety, Kate xox