It’s no secret Australians love to drink plenty of beer and spirits, but research shows our drinking may not love us back.

Around 3,500 cancer cases in Australia each year can be traced back to one culprit: alcohol.

The Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) and Cancer Council ACT want to remind us today, on World Cancer Day 2022, that you can lower your cancer risk by reducing the amount of alcohol you drink.

Alcohol has been linked to cancer in at least seven sites in the body, and excessive drinking greatly increases your risk of developing the deadly disease.

FARE CEO, Ms Caterina Giorgi, said it’s been well established there is a link between cancer and alcohol.

“The more alcohol you drink, the greater the risk of cancer in the mouth, throat, breast, liver, and bowel,” Ms Giorgi said.

“World Cancer Day is an opportunity for us to remind ourselves of the link between alcohol and cancer and that reducing the amount of alcohol you drink can reduce your risk of cancer, and deliver significant short and long-term health improvements.”

The latest evaluation report conducted in the ACT measured the impact of FARE’s Reduce Your Risk campaign from July to September 2021. It found a dramatic increase in the amount of people aged 25-65 years who were aware of the link between alcohol and cancer and could name one or more types of cancer caused by alcohol, including:

• colon or bowel cancer – increase in awareness from 46 per cent pre-campaign to 72 per cent post-campaign (+26 per cent)

• head and neck cancers – increase in awareness from 28 per cent pre-campaign to 63 per cent post-campaign (+35 per cent)

• breast cancer – increase in awareness from 27 per cent pre-campaign to 39 per cent post-campaign (+12 per cent)

During the same timeframe, Canberrans who could correctly recall the advice within the Australian guidelines to reduce health risks of drinking alcohol to not have more than four standard drinks per day increased from six per cent to 24 per cent.

Similarly, people within the ACT who were aware of the recommendation to have no more than 10 standard drinks per week increased from 21 per cent to 38 per cent.

Ms Giorgi said there’s a crucial need for trusted sources to raise awareness and empower people with the correct advice so they can make informed decisions.

“There have been a lot of mixed messages about the health risks of alcohol, and this means many people are unaware that alcohol is a cause of a range of cancers,” Ms Giorgi said

“This campaign provided the community with clear information and resources about alcohol and cancer from a trusted source.”

Cancer Council ACT CEO Verity Hawkins said the key areas of concern are awareness and prevention as Australia works towards a cancer-free future.

“Cancer Council ACT welcomes the achievements of the Reduce Your Risk campaign,” Ms Hawkins said.

“The campaign has highlighted a gap in awareness around the link between alcohol and cancer, and it has done some amazing work in bringing this issue to the forefront in our community.”

FARE said they would like to thank the ACT Government Health Promotion Grants Program for their funding in support of the awareness campaign, and the West Australian Mental Health Commission for licensing the campaign’s usage in the ACT.

Read the full evaluation report for the Reduce Your Risk campaign here: fare.org.au/wp-content/uploads/Reduce-Your-Risk-Campaign-Evaluation.pdf

For more information about the link between alcohol and cancer and for tips to reduce your risk visit: reduceyourrisk.org.au

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