This month, millions of americans are taking part in “Dry January” in an effort to forgo alcohol for a month and cleanse themselves of the excesses of the holiday season. Director of Behavioral Health Services with SSM Health Greater Fond du Lac Tiffany Parker says Alcohol is the most widely used drug in the world including in the U.S. One nationally representative sample found that while the number of people who reported drinking in the past year remained consistent from 2019 to 2021, the number of people consuming alcohol every day increased by more than three percent. Parker says that’s significant. Alcohol use, even at low levels, is linked to a number of cancers including breast, colorectal, liver and esophagus. But a recent study found that more than half of adults in the U.S. are unaware of the cancer-related risks of alcohol consumption.
