New research is changing how we relate to and consume alcohol. While previous CDC guidance suggested that a small amount of alcohol was safe for consumption, or even potentially beneficial for your health, new research shows without a doubt that no amount of alcohol is safe or healthy for humans to ingest.

Bad News For Booze: The Truth About Drinking in 2024

2024 ALCOHOL FACTS

• Alcohol is classified as a toxic, psychoactive, and dependence-producing substance and is a Group 1 carcinogen
  • Other carcinogens in this group include:
    • Asbestos
    • Formaldehyde
    • Plutonium
• It is causally linked to seven types of cancer, including:
  • Oesophagus,
  • liver,
  • colorectal, &
  • Multiple breast cancers
• Alcohol consumption is associated with 740,000 new cancer cases each year globally.
• Evidence does not indicate the existence of a particular threshold at which the carcinogenic effects of alcohol start to manifest in the human body. As such, no safe amount of alcohol consumption for cancers and health can be established. Alcohol consumers should be objectively informed about the risks of cancer and other health conditions associated with alcohol consumption.
• Consuming any amount of alcohol (even just one glass of wine a day!) stresses your immune, cardiovascular, and nervous systems
• 84% of people have consumed alcohol at some point in their life.
• In a 2022 survey, 60% of adults ages 18 and older report having consumed alcohol in the last month
• Of those adults, 60.3 million (almost 24%) of adults reported binge drinking in the past month
• Binge drinking – “consuming 5 or more beverages containing alcohol for males or 4 or more beverages containing alcohol for females on the same occasion (i.e., at the same time or within a couple of hours of each other)” (SAMHSA, 2022).

We know this booze-news may be painful to accept. And we get it. We used to be booze-lovers, too! Before quitting alcohol in 2021, it seemed like nothing would ever compare to the sensation of having a margarita after work with friends or a glass of bourbon on ice before bed. But three years later, still booze-free, we can tell you we do not miss alcohol and have found better things to replace it.

We also hope reading this you do not feel shame about your drinking behaviors. You may feel like you both have a problem with drinking and are a “normal drinker,” by our culture’s standards. Alcohol is a tricky and confusing substance to navigate. Millions and millions of people use it regularly. Millions and millions have problems using it. You can’t make decisions about your relationship with alcohol based off of how other people drink it. Trust your gut. Honor your experience.

What to do if you are curious about quitting alcohol in 2024

If you are considering quitting alcohol, good for you! It’s hard to admit being even just a little curious about whether or not your life could be better without alcohol. If you follow that curiosity, you will (eventually) find new things to bring you pleasure. You will identify better ways to help your nervous system relax. You will meet new people and do new things as a result of leaving alcohol behind. It is guaranteed. It just takes time. Because quitting alcohol is no small choice. It is life changing. And figuring out how to thrive through and as a result of that change can be tricky, especially when so many other people are still on the booze train.

The larger culture is becoming more curious about sobriety. Cosana is working to make it easier for folks to move away from alcohol and into alignment with their higher selves.

We are here to support folks by providing:

• Sober Curious Events available to the community
• Recovery Coaches available for private, paid support
• A 15% discount off of Three Spirit Drinks

Check out our latest booze-free event, The Sober Curious Sip & Stretch. Follow our Instagram or subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest events and offerings.

Resources

1. Anderson, B. O., Berdzuli, N., Ilbawi, A., Kestel, D., Kluge, H. P., Krech, R., Mikkelsen, B., Neufeld, M., Poznyak, V., Rekve, D., Slama, S., Tello, J., & Ferreira-Borges, C. (2023). Health and cancer risks associated with low levels of alcohol consumption. The Lancet Public Health, 8(1), e6-e7. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2468-2667(22)00317-6
2. Daviet, R., Aydogan, G., Jagannathan, K., Spilka, N., Koellinger, P. D., Kranzler, H. R., Nave, G., & Wetherill, R. R. (2022). Associations between alcohol consumption and gray and white matter volumes in the UK Biobank. Nature Communications, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28735-5
3. National Institute on alcohol abuse and alcoholism (NIAAA). (n.d.). National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) | National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/alcohol-topics/alcohol-facts-and-statistics/alcohol-use-united-states-age-groups-and-demographic-characteristics#:~:text=Prevalence%20of%20Lifetime%20Drinking&text=According%20to%20the%202022%20National,some%20point%20in%20their%20lifetime.&text=This%20includes%3A,79.7%25%20in%20this%20age%20group)
4. Warrington, R. (2018). Sober curious: The blissful sleep, greater focus, limitless presence, and deep connection awaiting us all on the other side of alcohol. HarperCollins.
5. Whitaker, H. (2019). Quit like a woman: The radical choice to not drink in a culture obsessed with alcohol. Dial Press.