Breast Cancer Awareness Month

It's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, held each October in an effort to raise awareness of breast cancer risks, the value of screening and early detection, and available treatment options. More than 249,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with invasive breast cancer every year, and nearly 41,000 die from the disease.

Numerous studies have found that alcohol consumption increases the risk of breast cancer in women by about 7 percent to 10 percent for each one drink of alcohol consumed per day on average, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). Women who have two to three alcoholic drinks per day have a 20 percent higher risk of breast cancer compared to non-drinkers. 

If you have an alcohol abuse problem, getting help is perhaps the best thing you can do to safeguard your breast health. 

Tips to Lower Your Risk of Breast Cancer
While there’s no one sure way to prevent breast cancer, making healthy choices, like eating right and staying active, can help lower your risk. Here are some tips from the ACS: 

• Get screened. Regular screening will make it more likely that, if you do have breast cancer, it’s diagnosed early. The ACS guidelines state that women of average risk (ask your healthcare provider about your personal risk factors) should have yearly mammograms and clinical breast examination starting at age 40. Women in their 20s and 30s, need a clinical breast exam done every three years.
• Quit smoking. Limited but accumulating research indicates that smoking may slightly increase breast cancer risk, notes the ACS. This has been particularly found among long-term, heavy smokers and women who start smoking before their first pregnancy.
• Maintain a healthy weight. Obesity increases the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, says the ACS. And risk is about 1.5 times higher in overweight women and about 2 times higher in obese women than in lean women.
• Make exercise a priority. Growing evidence suggests that women who get regular physical activity have a 10 percent to 25 percent lower risk of breast cancer compared to women who are inactive, notes the ACS.

Alcohol Abuse Treatment for Women 

Rising Roads Recovery is dedicated to helping women who are struggling with alcohol use disorder and/or a co-occurring mental disorder. Our treatment center was created to inspire women to thrive in recovery. To learn more, call today: 866-746-1558.