Alcohol & Tobacco

Alcohol

Evidence suggests that drinking large amounts of alcohol can cause an increased risk of several types of cancer, including breast cancer. Alcohol can also cause liver failure and a variety of other chronic conditions. People who have received chemotherapy may be more susceptible to liver problems. See late effects assessment. In addition, alcohol provides calories without providing nutrition. Drinking is not recommended as part of a healthful lifestyle. Anyone, especially cancer survivors, who does drink is advised to do so only in very moderate amounts. If you do drink, limit your alcohol intake to less than one drink per day. (Please note that this does not mean you can justify a night of binge drinking by not drinking alcohol several days in advance. In fact, many studies show that binge drinking is significantly more dangerous than moderate consumption.)

Tobacco

The single most preventable cause of excess death in the United States is tobacco use, particularly cigarette smoking. The only advice that can be given about tobacco products is DO NOT SMOKE OR USE ANY FORM OF SMOKELESS TOBACCO. Most tobacco users start using before they finish high school. Statistics show that one-third of the one million teens that start smoking each year will die from their addiction. So if you don't smoke, don't start and if you do smoke, quit.

Also, stay away from second-hand tobacco smoke. Second-hand smoke is a combination of the smoke that is released from the end of a lit cigarette and the exhaled smoke. It is the number-one preventable risk factor for serious and chronic disease in nonsmokers in our country. Non-smokers who live or work with smokers experience a 30 to 50 percent elevated risk for lung cancer. Your treatment may already put you at an increased risk of lung problems (See late effects assessment). Smoking and exposure to tobacco smoke will only add to these problems.

Because tobacco use is addicting, quitting can be difficult. Studies show that smokers who quit before age 50 will cut their risk of dying in half over the next 5 years compared with people who continue smoking. There are programs to help you stop smoking. For further information on how to quit smoking call the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at 1-800-CDC-1311 or National Cancer Institute at 1-877-448-7848. Also refer to the resource links for other smoking cessation programs.