Legacy Healing Center Warns of Alarming Side Effect of Alcohol Consumption Increased Risk of Cancer

Delray Beach, FL - The correlation between increased cancer risk and alcohol consumption has long been understood by the scientific community thanks to early studies by the World Health Organization that date back as far as 1987. However, less than half of the public are aware of the clear link between alcohol use and cancer – a situation that many public health and consumer agencies hope to rectify through improved warning labels on alcohol.

The U.S. Department of Treasury’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau was urged in a letter in June 2019 to adopt a new, more informative, warning label on alcohol products that reads, “Government Warning: According to the Surgeon General, consumption of alcoholic beverages can cause cancer, including breast and colon cancers.”

The concern, according to the director of food policy at the Consumer Federation of America (CFA), is that the alcohol industry has managed to convince the public at large that moderate alcohol consumption can improve your health, thus creating a misleading “health halo” surrounding alcohol. As with tobacco products, the government must warn the public about the risks involved with alcohol consumption based on the latest scientific evidence available.

The Surgeons General’s 2016 report showed that a single drink a day can increase the risk of breast and other forms of cancer. According to a 2017 cancer study, alcohol consumption is the third highest cause of cancer in women behind obesity and tobacco. It is the fourth highest cause of cancer in men behind obesity, tobacco, and UV radiation.

A 2016 study demonstrated that cancer warning signs on alcohol can produce favorable changes in drinking habits, even among high-risk drinkers. With only less than half of the public aware that alcohol consumption, even in small quantities, can increase your risk of colon, liver, larynx, breast, oral cavity, esophagus, rectum, and pharynx cancer, an accurate cancer risk warning would help to save lives.

While there is a wellness trend that helped to reduce global alcohol consumption by 1.6 percent from 2018 to 2019, alcohol is still one of the most harmful substances people consume. The government is responsible for providing adequate warnings to the public so that they can weigh the risk of drinking alcohol for themselves, especially since alcohol is also physically addictive.

The 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health stated that as many as 139.8 million people over the age of 12 drank alcohol each month which is roughly half of the U.S. population. The higher the alcohol consumption, the higher the cancer risk becomes. The risk for other health issues, such as addiction, increases as well. In 2018, just under 15 million people suffered from alcohol use disorder (addiction) causing them to be exposed to the highest risk of cancer from regular, heavy drinking.

Legacy Healing Center – a leading addiction treatment center in Florida and New Jersey– sees the damage that alcohol consumption causes every day. From various forms of cancer to alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis, steatosis, alcoholic cardiomyopathy, arrhythmia, and chronic pancreatitis, the physical health risks of alcohol abuse are widespread. Of course, alcohol abuse also takes a devastating toll on a person’s mental and emotional health. Making people more aware of these problems is an important step in helping to prevent many of the hardships people face when they consume alcohol.

For anyone concerned about their alcohol consumption, or that of a loved one, Legacy Healing Center can help. Their staff is available at all hours to take calls, answer questions, and help begin the process of recovering from alcohol addiction. Call (888) 534-2295 or go to www.legacyhealing.com