Dry January: Rethinking Drinking
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Dry January: Rethinking Drinking (posted January 15, 2025)

I remember the first time I tried alcohol was during a visit to the Wisconsin State Fair with my family. I don’t recall my age exactly, but I was a child. We were sitting on some bleachers, watching the pig races, when I asked my father what his Miller Lite tasted like. He offered me a sip, and I recall how repulsive it was and thought to myself, ‘why would anyone want to drink this?’

But as I grew up in Wisconsin’s alcohol-centered culture, that initial dislike faded, and I did want to start drinking. Like many, I enjoyed alcohol now and then when it was time to socialize or unwind after a busy day. What I didn’t know, was just how easy it was to consume more than the recommended guidelines, and how drinking in the long-term can be a detriment to my health and well-being.

Alcohol and Cancer
In late December, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy released an advisory about alcohol and cancer risk, saying drinking is the leading preventable cause of cancer and that alcoholic beverages should carry a warning label, similar to a pack of cigarettes. He says alcohol consumption directly contributes to 100,000 cases of cancer and 20,000 related deaths every year. Even for those who drink at the limit or below the limits of current U.S. guidelines (one alcoholic drink per day for women and two for men), Murthy says the data shows that consuming alcohol increases the risk of developing the following types of cancer:
  • Mouth
  • Throat
  • Voice Box
  • Esophagus
  • Breast (in women)
  • Liver
  • Colon and Rectum
The Surgeon General does not have the authority to require the warning labels for which he’s calling. Congress would have to pass such a law, and it’s unclear if such a thing would be a priority, or even considered, with a new administration taking over later this month. It should be noted that the World Health Organization says there is no safe limit for drinking, and nearly fifty nations require warning labels on their alcoholic beverages.

Other Health Effects
There are other, well-documented impacts of alcohol on health and well-being. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says your liver can only process small amounts of alcohol, meaning the rest can harm your liver and other organs as it moves through the body. Drinking alcohol excessively on occasion or over time can have immediate and long-term effects. In general, health experts say the rule of thumb is less alcohol=better health.

The inverse of drinking less is called excessive alcohol use, a term used to describe four ways that drinking can negatively impact someone’s health:
  • Binge drinking
    • Four or more drinks for women, or five or more drinks for men in one sitting.
  • Heavy drinking
    • Eight or more drinks for women, or 15 or more drinks for men during a week’s time.
  • Underage drinking
    • Any alcohol use by someone under the age of 21.
  • Drinking while pregnant
    • Any alcohol use during pregnancy.
Short-Term Alcohol Use
Drinking excessively can lead to a myriad of harmful, short-term outcomes:
  • Bodily injury through falling, burns, drownings and car crashes.
  • Violence such as homicide, suicide, and intimate partner violence.
  • Alcohol poisoning that affects vital functions like breathing and heart rate.
  • Overdosing when alcohol use is mixed with other drugs.
  • Sexually transmitted infections or unplanned pregnancy.
  • Miscarriage, stillbirth, or fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) when alcohol is consumed during pregnancy.
Long-Term Alcohol Use
Over time, excessive drinking can have serious, long-term impacts on your health:
  • Cancer
  • High blood pressure
  • Heart disease
  • Liver disease
  • Stroke
  • Alcohol Use Disorder
  • Digestive problems
  • Weakened immune system
  • Depression and anxiety
  • Memory problems, including dementia
  • Relationship problems with loved ones
Should I drink less or stop completely?
If you’ve considered changing your drinking habits, you’re part of a growing societal trend toward moderation or complete sobriety. Across Brown County and Wisconsin, you’ll find a growing number of NA options at bars and restaurants. The younger generation of adults is making alcohol less of a focus when they get together. Even Lambeau Field has Section Yellow, a sobriety and recovery support group for fans attending a Packers home game.

The decision to cut back or quit is personal, although it’s a good idea to talk about your options with a health care professional. Experts suggest you make a plan to quit if you’d tried cutting back but can’t stick to it, have a condition that’s worsened by drinking, or have symptoms of alcohol use disorder.

Reasons that might play into your decision to cut down on drinking include a family history of alcohol problems, a history of drinking-related injuries, or you have problems with sleep, pain, anxiety disorder or sexual dysfunction.

Either way, the time to make a positive change is now. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism says you shouldn’t wait to hit “rock bottom” or have your life experience an alcohol-related crisis. The sooner you can implement a change, the more successful you are likely be. They’ve created a resource called Rethinking Drinking, which can help inform people about the drinking choices they make. Last week, the organization Partnership to End Addiction released an Alcohol Resource Center, which features articles, resources, tips, tools and guides for people who are looking for support and information related to alcohol. 

Even one fewer drink this month during “Dry January” is a step in the right direction, and Brown County Public Health believes in small steps to stay healthy!

For more information about a growing list of health-related topics, visit the Healthy Herald, Brown County Public Health’s blog section at stayhealthybc.com.

Resources
https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/index.html
https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/oash-alcohol-cancer-risk.pdf
https://www.sectionsober.com/
https://rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/how-much-too-much/what-are-symptoms-alcohol-use-disorder-aud
https://rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/
https://drugfree.org/alcohol-resource-center/