Rethinking Drinking

Did you know alcohol is a known cancer risk? Although many people are aware of the dangers of smoking and obesity, fewer realize that alcohol use is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the U.S. It increases the risk for cancers of the mouth, throat, voice box, esophagus, colon, liver, and breast (in women). Each year, alcohol contributes to nearly 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 cancer deaths. It’s also a factor in over 13,000 fatal alcohol-impaired driving crashes annually.