Alcohol: reduce your drinking to reduce your risk

This campaign aims to increase South Australians’ awareness of the link between alcohol and cancer and encourage people to reduce their drinking to reduce their risk of cancer. It’s designed to convey the message that alcohol causes cancer—including in the breast, liver, mouth, throat, and bowel—through imagery of a glass of red wine falling over and spreading to the parts of the body where cancer occurs.
Developed by the Western Australian Mental Health Commission in 2010 and revised in 2020, the campaign has received international recognition. When tested and evaluated alongside 52 other international alcohol harm reduction campaigns, ‘Spread’ has been found to be the ad most likely to motivate drinkers to reduce their alcohol use.

In the 2023 SA Population Health Survey (Module System), South Australians were asked how they rate the importance of alcohol in increasing a person’s risk of getting cancer. Alarmingly, South Australians aren’t making an adequate connection between alcohol use and cancer risk. 9.7% of those surveyed rated drinking alcohol as not at all important, and 13% rated drinking alcohol as slightly important, as a risk factor for cancer.
Additionally, the 2023 Shape of Australia survey revealed that more than half (51.5%) of South Australians surveyed incorrectly identified that the type of alcohol (e.g. beer, wine or spirits) was linked to health risks.
We also know the majority of South Australians drink alcohol, so it is important they are receiving accurate information about alcohol and cancer risk (80.3% of the population aged 14 and older reporting that had drank at least one full serve of alcohol in the last 12 months).
To date, there has been very little public conversation in SA about the cancer risk linked to drinking alcohol. The ‘Spread’ campaign has been effective in raising awareness of the link in other states. Through collaboration with Preventive Health SA, the campaign will be launched across digital advertising mediums which include audio streaming, broadcast video on demand, Meta and Google as well as traditional mediums including radio and outdoor for the first time in South Australia.

It is estimated that 4% or 5,800 of all new cancer cases in Australia in 2020 were due to alcohol. This means that approximately 16 Australians develop cancer due to alcohol use each day.
In 2021, an estimated 3.4% of all cancer deaths were caused by alcohol.

There are several ways alcohol can cause cancer:

• Alcoholic drinks contain ethanol, which irritate and damage the cells in the body, particularly the mouth and throat. Over time this cell irritation can lead to cancer.
• When alcohol is digested, it breaks down into compounds that damage cells and can cause cancer.
• Alcohol changes hormone levels, and that is linked to breast cancer (female).
• Alcohol can reduce folate absorption, which can result in changes in the cell, that makes it more likely for cancer to develop.
• Alcohol can change the cells in the mouth and throat and make it easier for tobacco to be absorbed, further increasing the chance of cancers of the mouth, throat and oesophagus.

We’ve known for nearly 40 years that long-term chronic use of alcohol can cause cancer. In 1988, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) found strong evidence of a causal association between alcohol use and a number of different cancers, and classified alcoholic beverages as Group 1 carcinogens—known to cause cancer in humans. Ethanol, the chemical present in all alcoholic beverages, has also been listed as a Group 1 carcinogen.

When it comes to cancer risk, there is no safe level of drinking. The more you drink, the greater the risk. If you choose to drink alcohol, Cancer Council SA recommends you follow the Australian guidelines to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol. The advice is no more than 10 standard drinks per week and no more than 4 standard drinks on any one day.

Here are a few ways you can reduce your alcohol use:

• Choose a non-alcoholic drink such as sparkling water with fresh lemon or lime.
• Keep non-alcoholic options at home.
• Use water to quench thirst.
• Plan alcohol-free days each week.
• Alternate alcoholic drinks with non-alcoholic drinks.
• Organise social catch ups that don’t centre around alcohol—catch up with friends for coffee or a walk.

If you’re looking for more support, the Better Health Coaching Service offers friendly health coaches you can speak to over the phone (confidentially) from the comfort of your own home. If you want to cut back on your alcohol intake, a coach can help you decide and set achievable goals.

While some studies suggest drinking alcohol in moderation benefits your heart, the evidence is not as strong as once thought. The Heart Foundation does not recommend that people drink alcohol for heart health.
There are other ways to reduce your risk of heart disease, such as eating well, exercising regularly, and not smoking. These habits also reduce your risk of cancer. For the antioxidants in red wine, eating many different plant foods provides a variety of antioxidants that can benefit health.

The evidence linking alcohol use and seven types of cancer is strong. The International Agency on Cancer Research (IARC) classifies alcoholic drinks and ethanol—the alcoholic component of alcoholic drinks—as Group 1 carcinogens. This means they are known to cause cancer in humans. This is based on their review of the all the high-quality peer-reviewed evidence available.
In contrast, the media often reports on studies that link many different risk factors to cancer, especially when the information is new or unusual. This can make it seem like there are always new things that have been found to cause cancer. However, these research findings are often based on one study, which might not be that robust, and may be grounded on early studies in animals or small numbers of people. Further research is often needed to be sure that their findings are credible and that they are relevant to the general human population.
Cancer Council has a responsibility to inform the community about what we know about the causes of cancer, and ways we can all reduce our risk—especially where the evidence is strong.