SoberOne

Breast cancer affects 2.1 million women each year and is the most frequent female cancer that causes the most deaths [1]. Only 1 in 10 cases is caused by genes [2]. The rest are lifestyle factors, among which is alcohol consumption.
Researchers surveyed 238 women to see if they considered alcohol a risk factor [2]. Only 17% of them held this opinion.

🗨️ What do the studies say?
Breast cancer risk increases by about 30-50% when you consume 15-30 grams of ethanol a day. That's one to two glasses of wine or one to two 0.33-liter bottles of beer [3]. Experts estimate that the likelihood increases by an additional 10% with each extra drink that women drink each day [4].

Studies have also shown that drinking three to four drinks a week increases the risk of breast cancer recurrence [4].

🗨️ Why does alcohol cause breast cancer?
▪️ Once in the body, ethanol breaks down to acetaldehyde, a substance that damages DNA and causes uncontrolled cell growth and malfunction.
▪️ High alcohol consumption increases levels of estrogen, the female s*x hormone. Estrogen is supposed to cause abnormal tissue overgrowth.
▪️ Large amounts of alcohol can contribute to weight gain. Being overweight is another factor in the development of breast cancer [3].

Sources:
1. https://www.who.int/.../diagnosis.../breast-cancer/en/...
2. https://www.nhs.uk/.../many-women-unaware-link-between.../
3.%https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3832299/
4. https://www.breastcancer.org/risk/factors/alcohol

📽 Angel and Demon - Drew Barrymore

She was so nicknamed because the talented girl managed to fall to the bottom by the age of 15 and soared to the top of fame again.

Drew belongs to an old acting dynasty that dates back to Maurice Barrymore's great-grandfather. Her father, mother, and grandfather were also actors.

However, Drew's father liked to drink, so her mother left her husband before the birth of her daughter.
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Baptized the future actress Steven Spielberg and Sophia Loren. With such parents and godparents, it is unlikely Drew would have chosen any other profession.
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Drew Barrymore's childhood was spent in a bohemian atmosphere. The girl was often with her mother at social parties held in Los Angeles.

Drew later recalled having empty liquor bottles for her dolls and being with her children instead of her mother's boyfriends.
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Growing up, Barrymore tried to compensate for the toys she had missed as a child. She loved everything about zebras: striped clothes, funny animal toys, trips to the zoo. But that was after she was 15, and before that age, Drew was a "lost girl".
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At the age of 9, Drew had tasted alcohol, at 10 she tried ma*****na, and at 12 she was hooked on co***ne. At age 14 Barrymore had twice been in the clinic, where she treated a drug addiction. The teenage girl had several su***de attempts. However, Drew managed to overcome her addiction.
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At age 15, Drew Barrymore felt self-sufficient, abandoned the help of her mother, and managed to write and publish her memoirs. Then her life changed abruptly for the better.
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There are two sides to the bohemian, well-fed life. And even born-again stars can have difficult childhoods that lead to addictions. But Drew proved that you could come back to yourself no matter what.

Alcohol and lung cancer: is there a connection?
Alcohol causes several types of cancer. These include cancer of the liver, breast, mouth, throat, esophagus, larynx, colon, re**um, and pancreas [1]. But does alcohol consumption affect lung cancer?

🍷 Genetic predisposition.
A recent study showed: that specific gene variations are strongly associated with an increased risk of alcohol dependence and a higher risk of lung cancer [2]. But the evidence is not yet definitive, and further research is needed.

🍷 Alcohol is a carcinogen
Carcinogens contribute to the onset and development of cancer [3]. And although lung cancer is not a higher risk group for alcohol drinkers, a large analysis showed that drinking more than seven servings a day - about 3.5 liters of beer - slightly increases the risk of lung cancer [4].

🍷 Complications of the study.
The research data cannot be interpreted unequivocally. One reason: heavy drinkers also often smoke. Because of this, separating the effects of Alcohol from the effects of smoking on the development of lung cancer is difficult.

Источники
1. https://www.verywellhealth.com/types-of-cancer-caused-by...
2. https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/3/eaay5034
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcinogen
4. https://academic.oup.com/aje/article/183/2/110/2195466

🥗 How to form a healthy habit?
Unhealthy habits "stick" to us, and then it's not easy to get rid of them. I wish it were the same with healthy habits. Teach yourself to run in the morning, eat right, meditate or work on time and do it every day without much effort. Is it possible?

🥗 How do habits form?
It takes three factors for a habit to emerge.
◾ Context.
◾ Reward.
◾ Repetition [1].
For example, at the end of the workday, you are in a bad mood and go into the store to buy something sweet to please yourself. The first time you do it consciously and with a specific purpose: to cheer yourself up. It works, and you feel better.
Afterward, you repeat this process for several days because it's a hard week at work, and you're not in the mood every night. Eating sweets in the evening becomes a habit, and you do it even on days when you feel okay.

🥗 How do you acquire a good habit?
Forming a good habit is harder. A healthy activity like going for a morning run or eating healthy takes more effort than eating sweets or watching TV before bed. But there are several ways to "habituate" yourself to something healthy [2].
◾ Tie a new habit to an existing one. Start every morning with coffee? Try adding a short meditation to your established ritual.
◾ Start small. If you want to bring more activity into your life, don't immediately force yourself to go to the gym four times a week. Start with ten minutes of exercise somewhere between breakfast and getting ready for work in the morning.
◾ Repeat it every day. The more regularly you repeat the activity, the faster it will become a habit.
◾ Simplify. The fewer obstacles you have in the way of the desired action, the better. Going for a morning run will be easier if you have your uniform ready the night before.
◾ Reward yourself. Regular exercising will be more straightforward if you combine it with listening to music or an audiobook.

Sources
1. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/habit-formation
2. https://www.nytimes.com/.../how-to-build-healthy-habits.html

A study of the relationship between ma*****na use and alcohol abuse found that ma*****na smokers were 5 times more likely to become addicted within the next three years [1]. What about other substances?

🍀 What is a "gateway drug"?
The gateway drug theory assumes that using one substance increases the risk of abusing other substances [2].
It is unclear, but potentially a starter drug alters neural pathways in the brain, "making it easier" to become addicted to subsequent ones. Laboratory animals who used cannabis at an early age were more likely to become addicted to other substances. Studies of their brains showed that the reward system was altered compared to normal animals.
🍀 Is ma*****na a gateway drug?
In a study of 6,624 people who used cannabis, 44.7% later switched to other drugs [3].
Another study, spanning 25 years, found that early ma*****na use was strongly associated with the usage and abuse of other drugs [4]. At age 15, the odds of switching to other drugs were 60 times higher than for people who had never used ma*****na. But by age 25, that number dropped to 3.9.

Sources:
1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26875671/
2. https://americanaddictioncenters.org/the.../gateway-drugs?fbclid=IwAR3tBQ7ReXiad7R__SapbHGZBtbNyoKE56lYKeZVECwiRvrzdxrw0DAZLh8
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25168081/
4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16548935/

🌟 ALCOHOL AND FERTILITY

Three out of four women who want to get pregnant as soon as possible do not stop drinking [1]. Does it get in the way of having a baby?

How is alcohol related to fertility?
The exact effect of alcohol on a woman's fertility is not fully understood. But it is known how ethanol affects the body.
▪️ Menstrual disorders and irregular periods. The possibility of getting pregnant depends on the timing of your menstrual cycle and successful ovulation. If these are disrupted, it can make it difficult to conceive.
▪️ Sexually transmitted diseases. While under the influence of alcohol, a person is more prone to unprotected s*x and may contract an STD. Untreated gonorrhea or chlamydia can cause infertility.
▪️ Damage to internal organs. Alcohol damages the heart, liver, pancreas, immune system, and brain, and its abuse increases the risk of seven cancers [2]. All of these effects can make it difficult for a woman to conceive and carry a child safely [3].
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) reports that ethanol can disrupt women's onset of puberty, menstrual cycle, reproductive function, and hormone levels. Each factor affects fertility rates and the ability to conceive [3].
A study of 6,120 women found that those who drank more than 14 units* of alcohol per week were 18% less likely to get pregnant [4].
*Approximately seven glasses of wine or six 0.5 liter cans of beer.

What to do?
If you're planning to get pregnant, it's safest to completely stop drinking to minimize the risks to your unborn child [5].
Most women do not realize they are pregnant until four to six weeks and may unknowingly expose the developing fetus to alcohol [1]. Drinking alcohol, even during the first few weeks, can cause permanent physical, behavioral, and intellectual impairments in the baby [1].
Therefore, it is worthwhile to stop drinking alcohol immediately after giving up birth control if you want to have a baby.

Sources:
1. https://www.cdc.gov/.../p0202-alcohol-exposed-pregnancy.html
2. https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/alcohol/index.htm...
3. https://www.alcohol.org/pregnancy/reproduction-issues/...
4. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/312629...
5. https://www.nhs.uk/.../how-can-i-increase-my-chances.../....

Alcohol after 65: what to keep in mind?
Why you shouldn't overuse alcohol
☑ Increased sensitivity to alcohol
Aging reduces the body's tolerance to ethanol [1]. Older people tend to get drunk faster than younger people. It increases the risk of falls, fractures, injuries, and car accidents.
☑ Health problems
Certain health conditions that alcohol aggravates are more common at older ages [1].
▪ Diabetes.
▪ High blood pressure.
▪ Chronic heart failure.
▪ Liver disease.
▪ Osteoporosis.
▪ Memory problems.
▪ Depression.
☑ Interaction with medication.
Some medications can be dangerous or even deadly if taken with alcohol [1]. Here are some of them.
▪ Aspirin.
▪ Paracetamol.
▪ Cold and allergy medicines.
▪ Cough syrups.
▪ Sleeping pills.
▪ Painkillers.
▪ Drugs for anxiety and Depression.
☑ Accelerated aging of the brain.
Alcohol abusers over 65 have accelerated the aging of several brain areas, including the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes [2]. These areas are responsible for information processing, decision-making, self-control, and memory.
Should I stop drinking altogether?
If you have health problems or take medcine incompatible with alcohol, it is better not to drink at all [1].
If you are healthy and not on medication, have no more than 7 drinks a week and no more than 3 drinks a day [1]. But there is no safe dose of alcohol for your health. Ideally, it would help if you gave up alcohol altogether.
Sources:
1. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/.../special.../older-adults
2. https://niaaa.scienceblog.com/103/alcohol-and-the-aging-brain/