Prevention

Every October, we like to write a post about the relationship between breast cancer and drinking. As many of us know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and women’s health is on the forefront of our minds. But for many women, breast cancer isn’t just on their minds in October. And we’re here to remind you that every month is a good time to think about the negative consequences that alcohol can have on the overall health of a woman.

With breast cancer and drinking, research is consistently showing that all alcoholic beverages (beer, liquor, and even wine) increase a woman’s risk of hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer. This is because alcohol can increase the levels of estrogen and other hormones associated with hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer. Alcohol might also increase risk because it damages DNA in cells which can contribute to the development of cancer.  Read more →

Why healthy sleep habits are an important addiction prevention tool. 

Is sleep a prevention tool against addiction? A new study in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research has found that 27 percent of school-age children and 45 percent of teens don’t get enough sleep. Either from school work, extracurricular activities, stress, and/or diagnosed forms of insomnia. And the study found that teens with sleep issues were more like to have drinking problems later on in life. Alarmingly, more and more teens are being prescribed sleeping pills, which can bring about a cascade of other problems (such as headaches, daytime drowsiness, and even dependence), often times without fully addressing the initial sleep problem. Read more →