As we all know, the recovery industry is rooted in health and wellness. The ultimate goal of sobriety is to live a longer life. Well now, more evidence has emerged emphasizing the importance of clean living. In fact, The American Cancer Society has now gone on record, saying to cut all alcohol from one’s life if they want to reduce their chances of contracting that disease.
Good Morning America covered this latest revelation, which actually contradicts previous statements made by the Cancer Society. For several years, reports had come out saying one to two drinks a week was not unhealthy and posed little risk. Now, though, new guidelines have been set in place.
ABC News’ chief medical correspondent, Dr. Jennifer Ashton, spoke to GMA about the findings.
“For the first time, the American Cancer Society is saying not one drink a day for women, not two drinks a day for men,” Dr. Ashton explained. “They’re saying the best thing you can do for your health is to avoid alcohol completely. They really called this out as the third most major modifiable risk factor for our health and cancer reduction and prevention, behind not smoking and maintaining a healthy weight.”
To us, this is a pretty big revelation. Per Dr. Ashton’s research, drinking alcohol is one of the top three modifiable causation factors for cancer. It has long been known that alcoholism can cause severe damage to the liver and other vital organs, but this latest data hammers in its danger risks even more.
Physical activity was touted as well, to help reduce the likelihood of cancer. And let’s be honest, addiction can greatly impact people’s exercise habits. Often time alcoholics (and other substance abusers) remain sedentary and fall into depressions. So abstaining can create much more than one benefit.
The GMA article went on to state that cancer is the second leading cause of death in in the United States (accounting for roughly 600,000 fatalities each year). And though living a clean life can’t guarantee that you won’t contract the disease, it can certainly help.
If loved ones in your life are dealing with an alcoholism problem, it is important that they seek out help. Because, as the research shows, it may not lead to a crisis today, but there is a strong possibility that health complications can arise down the line.
