I’ve been drinking for 7 years. Typicall I’ve only drank 3-4 drinks a year. If I stop drinking now, would that help decrease chances of cancer? If it does will it take a long time?
Only if you’re a White Lab Rat. Anything gives them cancer. Otherwise, unless your drinks are in excess of a gallon per glass I don’t think you’ve a worry.
That’s really not a lot of drinking. I guess technically, yes, it would decrease the risk but your risk is already really low at 3-4 servings of alcohol per year.
Actually, if you stop drinking you’ll eliminate the risk of getting cancer from alcohol. That’s a fact. Not drinking any alcohol is the only way to avoid getting cancer from it. Same is true for tobacco.
Now, there are many things that can give you cancer, from environmental factors to genetic ones. So, there are a lot of things not under your control that may still give you cancer.
But if you want to, at least, eliminate the ones you can control, not drinking alcohol and not smoking are two good candidates. There are others, related to your diet that you can control (some related to red meats, for example).
From all I’ve read, there’s no safe level of alcohol intake. So, I became a teetotaler a few years ago. It’s not that bad. There’s are lots of alternatives that still allow you to socialize in a group that’s drinking. If you have any questions, just ask.
Edit: regarding what you ask, the effects are immediate. Same for tobacco. The sooner you stop, the better for your body. Now, you don’t drink much, but if you did, you’ll lose tolerance for alcohol pretty quickly. I can no longer tolerate alcohol, and I don’t even like the smell of it anymore. It’s actually pretty curious.
I’m just a simple statistican, but I would be more worried about sun exposure, tap water quality, air quality, processed foods and occupational hazards (depending on job) over 3-4 drinks per year.
it might. but the difference would be absolutely marginal. also there’s a line between reasonably moderating your life not to die of cancer at 30 and worrying about everything and micromanaging every single aspect of your life to minimize your risk of cancer, which could ironically increase it. i know you didnt say anything like that, but many keep reading that x thing causes cancer and cut it out of their lives, then read that y causes it too and so on, just be reasonable
Edit: from the articles, in case you don’t have time to read them:
“We cannot talk about a so-called safe level of alcohol use. It doesn’t matter how much you drink—the risk to the drinker’s health starts from the first drop of any alcoholic beverage”
Literally just existing breathing is slowly killing you. I couldn’t be bothered to be scared of literally everything I do or not do in the risk it “could kill me” we all die anyways. May as well do it on your own terms.
But the WHO didn’t write a report that breathing ages you (because it requires the passage of time), this risking age-related health problems and ultimate, inevitable death.
Which fallacy is the one where you cite a paper that doesn’t say what you claim it does?
The optimum level of sun exposure for vitamin D production does not mean that level is “safe.” You’re trading vitamin D for cancer risk. Your claim about alcohol didn’t make any cost / benefit analysis. It was only that there is no safe level. You paid no regard to how small the risks were, only that there was any risk.
You can get vitamin D from your diet or supplements. You can get skin cancer and retinal cancer from the sun.
Exactly. I put on sunscreen indoors and people think I’m being dramatic. Same people ask me how I manage to look almost 20 years younger then I am. Sunlight is poisonous.
As a non-drinker who has seen the ravages of alcohol abuse in several loved ones, I completely understand the “no level is safe” guideline.
That said, 3-4 drinks per year is far below any measure of alcohol use that is seriously studied, where researchers look at drinking at the “amount per week” level. 3-4 drinks per year is essentially on the level of being a non-drinker.
this is basically not understanding what “risk” means. if you have a 1% risk of developing cancer, and by doing something (ie drinking) you double relatively-wise that risk, it’s still only 2% of risk. would you stop drinking and enjoying alcohol and living a happier life for a mere 1%?
all the numbers I’m using are totally random, but it shows that saying “it increases the risk” although technically correct doesn’t mean shit and it’s just fearmongering and a basic inability of understanding information.
Note that moderate intake of alcohol can be beneficial to health.
More than 100 prospective studies show an inverse association between light to moderate drinking and risk of heart attack, ischemic (clot-caused) stroke, peripheral vascular disease, sudden cardiac death, and death from all cardiovascular causes.
But if you’re only considering cancer, then as some of the other answers suggested, cutting alcohol intake to zero could reduce the risk of getting cancer, although the reduction is likely very small that’s neglectable.
The better conclusion is “people who drink in moderation have a decreased risk of cancer”, which is different. Causation is hard to prove, especially when we can only ethically do observational studies. It’s likely that people who drink in moderation are more likely to make healthy choices in other areas of their life or have other factors that reduce risk.
If you are referring to the J curve (that the lowest point is those who drink a little), it’s usually explained that those who don’t drink at all usually do so because of poor health.
I hardly ever even drank a drop until I “discovered” alcohol at 26. Enjoyed it on and off for a few years and now only at 29, drinking gives me an instant headache and makes me feel like shit before I’m even drunk. I don’t get what happened, but it’s like any amount of drinking instantly gives me a mild hangover.
True enough, but you should try to not worry about cancer as much. Not saying don’t stop drinking; only good things can come out of not drinking alcohol, but stress and anxiety are also pretty bad for your health. If this is as bad as it looks, you might wanna talk to a professional.
True enough, but you should try to not worry about cancer as much. Not saying don’t stop drinking; only good things can come out of not drinking alcohol, but stress and anxiety are also pretty bad for your health. If this is as bad as it looks, you might wanna talk to a professional.
Don’t take this the wrong way, but if you’re worried about getting cancer from 3-4 drinks per year, it sounds like you might be dealing with a fair bit of anxiety.
Stress caused by anxiety is bad for your health and a possible cancer risk, and almost certainly worse for you than 3-4 drinks a year. I don’t want you to now be anxious about your anxiety, but this might be a good thing to focus on to improve your general quality of life (and possibly reduce your cancer risk in the process).
You could start by talking to a doctor or other medical professional about it, or try finding a therapist in your area. The therapist search on https://www.psychologytoday.com/ is a good place to look, or try an online service like Better Help.
[edit: corrected overstatement about stress being a major cancer risk]
Fair question, and looks like I overstated that link.
Chronic stress affects your immune system (via cortisol, long term inflammation) and that is no bueno for all sorts of health outcomes, including likely making it harder to fight off tumours.
But to my surprise, there doesn’t actually seem to be solid evidence of a causal link between stress and increased risk of developing cancer.
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3-4 drinks a year is nothing, I have alcohol intolerance (stomach cancer risks) and I can probably drink that.
Nope, no measurable effect.
Jesus, dude. You need a drink.
Only if you’re a White Lab Rat. Anything gives them cancer. Otherwise, unless your drinks are in excess of a gallon per glass I don’t think you’ve a worry.
You already have cancer from the one drop of alcohol you drank 7 years ago
That’s really not a lot of drinking. I guess technically, yes, it would decrease the risk but your risk is already really low at 3-4 servings of alcohol per year.
Actually, if you stop drinking you’ll eliminate the risk of getting cancer from alcohol. That’s a fact. Not drinking any alcohol is the only way to avoid getting cancer from it. Same is true for tobacco.
Now, there are many things that can give you cancer, from environmental factors to genetic ones. So, there are a lot of things not under your control that may still give you cancer.
But if you want to, at least, eliminate the ones you can control, not drinking alcohol and not smoking are two good candidates. There are others, related to your diet that you can control (some related to red meats, for example).
From all I’ve read, there’s no safe level of alcohol intake. So, I became a teetotaler a few years ago. It’s not that bad. There’s are lots of alternatives that still allow you to socialize in a group that’s drinking. If you have any questions, just ask.
Edit: regarding what you ask, the effects are immediate. Same for tobacco. The sooner you stop, the better for your body. Now, you don’t drink much, but if you did, you’ll lose tolerance for alcohol pretty quickly. I can no longer tolerate alcohol, and I don’t even like the smell of it anymore. It’s actually pretty curious.
I’m just a simple statistican, but I would be more worried about sun exposure, tap water quality, air quality, processed foods and occupational hazards (depending on job) over 3-4 drinks per year.
deleted by creator
Maybe 3 or 4 drinks before lunch you may need to worry
it might. but the difference would be absolutely marginal. also there’s a line between reasonably moderating your life not to die of cancer at 30 and worrying about everything and micromanaging every single aspect of your life to minimize your risk of cancer, which could ironically increase it. i know you didnt say anything like that, but many keep reading that x thing causes cancer and cut it out of their lives, then read that y causes it too and so on, just be reasonable
3-4 drinks per year won’t affect your cancer risk. Unless you’ve been drinking radium or something.
What if I’ve been drinking radium
That’s completely wrong. There’s no safe level of alcohol intake:
https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/04-01-2023-no-level-of-alcohol-consumption-is-safe-for-our-health
https://time.com/6248439/no-safe-amount-of-alcohol/
Edit: from the articles, in case you don’t have time to read them:
“We cannot talk about a so-called safe level of alcohol use. It doesn’t matter how much you drink—the risk to the drinker’s health starts from the first drop of any alcoholic beverage”
An effect can be observable but still negligible in terms of the actual increase of risk.
deleted by creator
Change of risk for 3 drinks a year is unnoticeable. You can’t tell it from normal noise.
removed by mod
No safe level of sunlight by the same logic.
deleted by creator
Literally just existing breathing is slowly killing you. I couldn’t be bothered to be scared of literally everything I do or not do in the risk it “could kill me” we all die anyways. May as well do it on your own terms.
But the WHO didn’t write a report that breathing ages you (because it requires the passage of time), this risking age-related health problems and ultimate, inevitable death.
Which fallacy is the one where you cite a paper that doesn’t say what you claim it does?
The optimum level of sun exposure for vitamin D production does not mean that level is “safe.” You’re trading vitamin D for cancer risk. Your claim about alcohol didn’t make any cost / benefit analysis. It was only that there is no safe level. You paid no regard to how small the risks were, only that there was any risk.
You can get vitamin D from your diet or supplements. You can get skin cancer and retinal cancer from the sun.
Exactly. I put on sunscreen indoors and people think I’m being dramatic. Same people ask me how I manage to look almost 20 years younger then I am. Sunlight is poisonous.
Are you my coworker?
I am self employed so unless you secretly live in my office walls I don’t think so.
I might!
Oh come on, you don’t have to drink. Drinking is a choice and an easily avoidable health risk.
As a non-drinker who has seen the ravages of alcohol abuse in several loved ones, I completely understand the “no level is safe” guideline.
That said, 3-4 drinks per year is far below any measure of alcohol use that is seriously studied, where researchers look at drinking at the “amount per week” level. 3-4 drinks per year is essentially on the level of being a non-drinker.
Technically yes, but 3-4 drinks per year is such a small amount it’s going to make a negligible difference.
deleted by creator
this is basically not understanding what “risk” means. if you have a 1% risk of developing cancer, and by doing something (ie drinking) you double relatively-wise that risk, it’s still only 2% of risk. would you stop drinking and enjoying alcohol and living a happier life for a mere 1%?
all the numbers I’m using are totally random, but it shows that saying “it increases the risk” although technically correct doesn’t mean shit and it’s just fearmongering and a basic inability of understanding information.
deleted by creator
Yep, it’s like saying that drinking communion wine at church is a risky amount of alcohol.
Yeah, when everyone knows it’s really religion that’s cancerous.
Note that moderate intake of alcohol can be beneficial to health.
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/drinks-to-consume-in-moderation/alcohol-full-story/
But if you’re only considering cancer, then as some of the other answers suggested, cutting alcohol intake to zero could reduce the risk of getting cancer, although the reduction is likely very small that’s neglectable.
The better conclusion is “people who drink in moderation have a decreased risk of cancer”, which is different. Causation is hard to prove, especially when we can only ethically do observational studies. It’s likely that people who drink in moderation are more likely to make healthy choices in other areas of their life or have other factors that reduce risk.
If you’ve been drinking 3-4 drinks a year for 7 years, you’d almost decrease your chances of cancer by drinking more lol
If you are referring to the J curve (that the lowest point is those who drink a little), it’s usually explained that those who don’t drink at all usually do so because of poor health.
I don’t drink because alcohol gives me bad heartburn and a headache long before I get drunk. Guess that does sorta count as being in poor health.
i dont drink because i mistook mine and my mothers bottle and in hers where beer. Still traumatised how disguisting it tasted
I hardly ever even drank a drop until I “discovered” alcohol at 26. Enjoyed it on and off for a few years and now only at 29, drinking gives me an instant headache and makes me feel like shit before I’m even drunk. I don’t get what happened, but it’s like any amount of drinking instantly gives me a mild hangover.
True enough, but you should try to not worry about cancer as much. Not saying don’t stop drinking; only good things can come out of not drinking alcohol, but stress and anxiety are also pretty bad for your health. If this is as bad as it looks, you might wanna talk to a professional.
True enough, but you should try to not worry about cancer as much. Not saying don’t stop drinking; only good things can come out of not drinking alcohol, but stress and anxiety are also pretty bad for your health. If this is as bad as it looks, you might wanna talk to a professional.
Don’t take this the wrong way, but if you’re worried about getting cancer from 3-4 drinks per year, it sounds like you might be dealing with a fair bit of anxiety.
Stress caused by anxiety is bad for your health and a possible cancer risk, and almost certainly worse for you than 3-4 drinks a year. I don’t want you to now be anxious about your anxiety, but this might be a good thing to focus on to improve your general quality of life (and possibly reduce your cancer risk in the process).
You could start by talking to a doctor or other medical professional about it, or try finding a therapist in your area. The therapist search on https://www.psychologytoday.com/ is a good place to look, or try an online service like Better Help.
[edit: corrected overstatement about stress being a major cancer risk]
How does anxiety cause cancer?
Cortisol, the “stress hormone”, has been shown to possibly accelerate cancer development.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9216328/
wow … great…
So if you have cancer, the important thing is not to be worried at all about the horrific illness and potential death that you’re facing. Simple…
Fair question, and looks like I overstated that link.
Chronic stress affects your immune system (via cortisol, long term inflammation) and that is no bueno for all sorts of health outcomes, including likely making it harder to fight off tumours.
But to my surprise, there doesn’t actually seem to be solid evidence of a causal link between stress and increased risk of developing cancer.
Oh great, another thing to be anxious about. My anxiety is going so out of control it’s going meta now.
Have a drink and relax.
Joey: Monica. Relax. Go get a beer.
Monica: I don’t want a beer!
Joey: Who said it was for you?
Joey: Monica. Relax. Go get a beer.
Monica: I don’t want a beer!
Joey: Who said it was for you?
Have you ever had chest pain because of anxiety…and then the chest pain itself gives you anxiety about having chest pain?? Lmao