In 2025, Dry January got a boost from the Surgeon General: an advisory about alcohol’s role in cancer and a warning about the risks of drinking.
“Alcohol consumption,” the report stated, “is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States, after tobacco and obesity,” increasing the risk of cancer in at least seven sites: mouth, throat, larynx, esophagus, breast, liver, and colon.
With the advisory drawing our attention to the issue, it’s a good time to take a look at the connection between alcohol and cancer so we can make informed decisions about drinking.
Alcohol does its damage in several ways. First, the breakdown of alcohol (ethanol) in the body produces acetaldehyde, a toxic chemical that damages both DNA and proteins.
Alcohol also generates what scientists call “reactive oxygen species” — you may know them as “free radicals.” They are unstable molecules that contain oxygen, which can ...
