The findings of new research on the links between alcohol consumption and cancer have added to community conversation on the need to improve attitudes towards drinking alcohol.
A major international piece of research has found consuming alcohol increases the risk of getting more forms of cancer than previously believed.
According to Imperial College London, the international team behind the research, alcohol consumption is now understood to be connected to several cancers: Those of the head and neck, which include the mouth, pharynx, and larynx, and oesophageal and bowel.
Alongside these is the more widely understood connection between alcohol consumption and breast and liver cancers.
The researchers are now calling for more targeted public health policies that would enable consumers to understand the link between drinking alcohol and cancer, to encourage them to limit consumption.
Substance Misuse Limestone Coast project officer Sophie Bourchier said the research and studies conducted locally support the need for a culture shift around alcohol consumption.
“We already know that heavy alcohol use can also cause short- and long-term health problems such as cirrhosis of the liver, alcohol dependence, strokes, suicide, injury and car accidents,” Ms Bourchier told The SE Voice.
“The health sector has been aware of many global studies looking at the link between alcohol use and cancer, and the results are clear that alcohol is a known risk factor for cancer.”
Some studies have suggested there are some health benefits from drinking red wine, but Ms Bourchier said there was no research to show there was a direct link between better health and drinking alcohol.
In 2020 SMLC released a community education campaign, “Time for Change”, to create awareness of how small increases in alcohol use at home can quickly become a habit.
The campaign emerged because COVID-19 continues to have a massive impact on our lives, including the way alcohol is consumed.
Ms Bourchier’s organisation found more people were drinking at home, while it has become more common to see alcohol advertised widely and delivered to people’s homes, via a text or a phone call.
“Data from a survey SMLC conducted exploring the impact of COVID-19 on Limestone Coast agencies saw increased alcohol consumption in 2020 in the Limestone Coast – stats from our own pandemic agency survey show this,” Ms Bourchier said.
“This supports the need for a culture shift in Australia which has always had a very relaxed attitude to drinking and support the need for more public health policies and community awareness campaigns around alcohol’s link to cancer.”
