Alcohol and cancer

[Pooshy]

I know that alcohol can cause several different types of cancer, and you are supposed to stick to the govt guidelines to avoid/reduce the risk

But I'm wondering how common it is for people to drink moderately (such as two glasses of wine, a few nights a week), to get alcohol related cancer

My uncle died horribly of mouth cancer but he was an alcoholic his whole life

Is it really that dangerous to drink as I do? I probably drink twice the recommended allowance a week

I drink about the same amount as you.

Pancreatic cancer is linked to alcohol, obviously liver (you'd have to be drinking a huge amount for that to happen), and obviously throat/swallowing.

It's really tricky to be able to isolate 2 factors (cancer and alcohol) as there are so many other variables, such as genetics, diet, stress, exercise.

There's a latin term 'ceteris paribus' meaning all other things remaining equal which can demonstrate how difficult it is to take 2 things in isolation and plot the relationship between them.

Many people with lung cancer have never smoked.

Sounds like you're fretting too much, I'd just cut down a little and focus on being a happy, healthy you :)

The cancers to worry about are the obvious ones like liver/oro-phyaryngeal/oesophageal cancers but also less obvious ones like breast and bowel CA. Most are multifactorial so it is difficult to pin down exactly how precisely how alcohol as a single risk factor will affect your chances of developing cancer.

I'd be more worried about the other effects that drinking excessively has to be honest. As the NHS website clearly states 10-20 years of drinking >14 units/week will increase your risk of stroke, heart disease, liver disease and damage to the nervous system. Binge drinking comes with additional risks on top of chronic 'low-level' alcohol excess. Alcohol withdrawal can be a real problem in 'functional heavy drinkers' - often seen on day 3 after a hospital admission. There are also the wasted calories and effects on your blood sugar and risk of diabetes. I could go on....