Stop Drinking Now ..As Dangerous as Smoking? Alcohol and Cancer
By: EdPhilips | Posted: 27th June 2008
Alcoholism comes with some very basic facts. This illness afflicts almost 14 million people nationwide which equates to basically one in every 10 adults. Alcoholism even kills nearly 20,000 Americans yearly, both directly and as a result of alcohol-related incidents and conditions.
Nearly one-third of people diagnosed with psychotic disorders show a history of alcoholism and alcohol-dependency. Clearly this disease is devastating in its scope and impact. It is a strain on the public health system and a trauma for countless families nationwide...
However, even these staggering numbers may be an actual understatement of the true damage inflicted by alcoholism. A new international study has found that the cancer risk associated with heavy alcohol consumption has long been under reported and may rival even the risks posed by smoking. The study, conducted by the France-based International Agency for Research on Cancer, was recently published in The Lancet Oncology journal.
The research results lead to the conclusion that extreme levels of drinking and alcohol dependency can considerably increase the risk of a multitude of cancers. These include cancers of the breast, colon, esophagus, liver, mouth and larynx. There is even the suggestion of a link between alcohol consumption and lung and pancreatic cancers, although there were not sufficient findings to be conclusive on these two cancers.
The cancer study's findings caused mild controversy among some in the medical community, as other recent studies had suggested that moderate alcohol consumption may result in a reduced risk of heart disease. However, cancer researchers emphasized that the current study reflects only the consequences of heavy, long-term drinking such as that associated with alcoholism. Moderate drinking - defined as two glasses of wine daily - by non-alcoholic adults continues to be recommended by some doctors.
The number of alcohol related deaths is overwhelming. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that alcoholism results in more than 320,000 deaths per year in the industrialized world, with approximately 185,000 being men and 142,000 being women. Rates of alcoholism in the population of developing countries can be higher, with alcohol being responsible for more than 1.5 million deaths in men and 300,000 in women yearly.
The crisis of alcohol consumption has been deemed particularly severe by public health officials in central and eastern Europe, where financial problems and the affordability of highly-concentrated alcohols such as vodka have resulted in near-epidemic proportions of alcoholism.
Alcoholism has possibly attributed to the rise in head and neck cancers in eastern European countries as shown in some studies
For those who believe they may be suffering from alcohol dependency, the 24-hour Alcohol Treatment Referral Hotline can be reached at 1-800-ALCOHOL. For a guide to local Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and other treatment options, sufferers are also encouraged to contact their physician.
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Tags: risk of heart disease, world health organization, medical community, cancer risk, alcohol dependency, extreme levels, cancer researchers, countless families