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People who stop drinking alcohol lower their colorectal and breast cancer risk
- Accumulating evidence shows that people who cut out alcohol can reduce their risk of developing some forms of cancer.
- Decreasing alcohol intake decreases the production of acetaldehyde in the body, which in turn, reduces the risk of certain cancers.
- Researchers and experts agree that continuing abstaining from alcohol is the only way to see long-term, positive health effects. (for more Can drinking less alcohol reduce your risk of cancer? (medicalnewstoday.com)
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The role of impulsivity in the relationship between affect and alcohol consumption in young adults
It’s been known, at least anecdotally, for a long time that people hitting the bottle in depression is often, the reality is people are more likely to do so when they are excited or happy. Of course, that may tie into and be tied to, the ‘celebratory’ entrenched stereotypes we have seen around alcohol consumption – champagne, for example, being the cliché image.
Abstract
Background: Theoretical models of alcohol use posit that individuals consume alcohol to ameliorate negative affect or to heighten positive affect. It is important, however, to consider the influence of factors that may determine an individual's tendency to consume excessive amounts of alcohol under positive and negative circumstances. Thus, the current study examined a large sample of young adults to clarify whether positive and negative affect predict total alcohol consumption on drinking days and whether facets of impulsivity moderate these relationships.
Results: Participants were significantly more likely to drink in greater quantities on occasions preceded by higher positive affect but not negative affect. While fun-seeking positively predicted total drinks consumed, there were no significant interaction effects between the BIS/BAS subscales and affect on total drinks consumed.
Conclusions: These findings challenge existing affect regulation models and have implications for ecological momentary interventions aimed at addressing hazardous drinking behaviours.
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The risks and harms associated with drinking alcohol have been systematically evaluated over the years and are well documented. The World Health Organization has now published a statement in The Lancet Public Health: when it comes to alcohol consumption, there is no safe amount that does not affect health.
It is the alcohol that causes harm, not the beverage
Alcohol is a toxic, psychoactive, and dependence-producing substance and has been classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer decades ago – this is the highest risk group, which also includes asbestos, radiation and tobacco. Alcohol causes at least seven types of cancer, including the most common cancer types, such as bowel cancer and female breast cancer. Ethanol (alcohol) causes cancer through biological mechanisms as the compound breaks down in the body, which means that any beverage containing alcohol, regardless of its price and quality, poses a risk of developing cancer.
(Source: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (who.int)
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We all want our families and communities to be healthy and safe, but right now far too many families and communities are experiencing harm from alcohol. Alcohol-induced deaths are at their highest rate in a decade,i and there are increases in people being hospitalised and seeking treatment for alcohol use.ii
There is strong evidence that exposure to alcohol marketing increases the likelihood that children will start drinking alcohol at an earlier age and at higher risk levels.iii
This is why we need to do all we can to ensure that children are not exposed to alcohol marketing or targeted by alcohol companies.
After almost four months, and following a number of community complaints and Parliamentarians calling for action, the alcohol industry’s own Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code (ABAC) Scheme has admitted that an alcoholic product based on a popular soft drink has been designed to appeal to children.iv This comes after ABAC already provided pre-approval for the product’s marketing.
Asahi has known that there was community concern over their product, but instead of taking action, the company started rolling it out on tap in pubs, showing it has no concern about the complaints that have been raised via ABAC. Asahi also had no regard for the fact that the product is being promoted prolifically through TikTok by young Australians, who are sharing videos about how the product masks the taste of alcohol and appeals to young people.v
In practice, ABAC’s acknowledgement that this alcoholic product appeals to children in its design does nothing to address the fundamental issue with how alcoholic products are marketed in Australia.
Advertising and marketing of addictive products that cause substantial harm, including the design of their packaging, should be required to follow Government-led rules that protect our children, families and broader community.
For more than 20 years, the alcohol industry has largely set its own rules for advertising through the voluntary ABAC Scheme. The rules the industry has developed for itself are weak and littered with loopholes.vi Community complaints are often dismissed, and even when breaches are upheld, there are no consequences. Companies like Asahi are left to themselves to decide what action, if any, to take.
The failures and fundamental flaws of the ABAC Scheme continue to leave our community at risk of harm from alcohol marketing.
The ABAC Scheme is completely voluntary, with no legislative basis for holding alcohol companies accountable for their marketing practices.
The Australian community wants change.
Seventy five percent of Australians agree that alcohol companies should not be able to set their own rules for how they advertise alcohol.6
We, the undersigned, call for Government-led regulation of alcohol marketing in Australia that is independent of the alcohol industry – a comprehensive legislative framework with enforcement measures that effectively stop harmful alcohol marketing.
It’s time to put the health and wellbeing of our families and communities first.
Yours sincerely,
i
Australian Bureau of Statistics. Causes of death, Australia. 2022.
ii Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Alcohol, tobacco & other drugs in Australia. 2023.
iii Jernigan D, Noel J, Landon J, Thornton N, Lobstein T. Alcohol marketing and youth alcohol consumption: A systematic review of longitudinal studies published since 2008. Addiction. 2017;112:7-20.
iv Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code Scheme Limited. ABAC Adjudication Panel Determination No 119/23 and others. 2023 Nov 8.
v Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education. “These will get you messed up”: An analysis of TikTok content on Hard Solo. 2023 Nov 3.
vi Pierce H, Stafford J, Pettigrew S, Kameron C, Keric D, Pratt IS. Regulation of alcohol marketing in Australia: A critical review of the Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code Scheme's new Placement Rules. Drug and Alcohol Review. 2019;38(1):16-24.