The research discovered a mere 19 per cent of people were aware of the link between breast cancer and alcohol and only 23 per cent were aware of the link between mouth cancer and alcohol.
In an effort to combat this, Cancer Council Victoria has developed a graphic advertising campaign showing alcohol damaging healthy cells as it moves through the body.
The campaign, Drink Less, Live More is an effort to reveal the hidden toll that booze is having on Victorians and it’s hoped it will encourage people to make more informed decisions about when and how much they drink.
Cancer Council Victoria chief executive officer Todd Harper said the World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer labelled alcohol a class one carcinogenic in 1988.
‘‘The IARC declared alcohol a carcinogen just over 30 years ago, and yet most Australians are still unaware of the link between alcohol and cancer. We need campaigns like Drink Less, Live More to show people the real damage alcohol leaves behind,’’ he said.
‘‘Cancer is a debilitating disease. An average of 30 Victorians will die from cancer every day, and yet some of those cancers, including those related to alcohol, could be prevented if people were more aware of the risks.’’
Cancer Council Victoria Alcohol Policy manager and National Alliance for Action on Alcohol co-chair Jane Martin said the statistics show that more needs to be done to educate people on the link between alcohol and cancer.
‘‘The big alcohol companies are very good at creating a facade of alcohol as glamorous, making us feel like having a drink with friends will make any event more fun,’’ she said.
‘‘But the reality is quite the opposite. More than just a headache or a hangover the next day, this damage can have very real and long-term devastating consequences.’’
According to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics the average person drinks 9.4litres of alcohol in a year but the National Health and Medical Research Council recommends no more than two standard drinks a day with an absolute maximum of four in any one day.
Ms Martin said this recommendation shouldn’t be taken to mean people can skip alcohol during the week and binge-drink on the weekend.
‘‘What they mean by that is — don’t think you can abstain from drinking all week and then drink 14 standard drinks on a big Saturday night out,’’ Ms Martin said.
Radiation oncologist and Tobacco Free Portfolios chief executive officer Dr Bronwyn King said Australians need to be more aware of the link between alcohol and cancer.
‘‘Reducing or cutting out alcohol is important for people who want to lower their risk of cancer,’’ she said.
‘‘Many of my cancer patients have been surprised to learn of this particular risk factor so it’s important to increase awareness.’’
The campaign will run for four weeks from February 17 on television, digital advertising and social media.
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