April is Alcohol Awareness Month, an opportunity to update your knowledge about alcohol use disorder (AUD) and the adverse impact of alcohol abuse and misuse on health and society. Alcohol-related problems continue to take a heavy toll on individuals, families, and communities. Researchers estimate that each year there are more than 178,000 alcohol-related deaths, making alcohol a leading preventable cause of death in the United States. In addition, more than 200 disease and injury-related conditions are associated with alcohol misuse.  Drinking too much, on a single occasion or over time, can take a serious toll on your health.  Here’s how alcohol can affect your body:
Brain:
Alcohol interferes with the brain’s communication pathways, and can affect the way the brain looks and works. These disruptions can change mood and behavior, and make it harder to think clearly and move with coordination.  
Heart:
Drinking a lot over a long time or too much on a single occasion can damage the heart, causing problems including:

• Cardiomyopathy – Stretching and drooping of heart muscle
• Arrhythmias – Irregular heart beat
• Stroke
• High blood pressure  

Liver:
Heavy drinking takes a toll on the liver, and can lead to a variety of problems and liver inflammations including:

• Steatosis, or fatty liver
• Alcoholic hepatitis
• Fibrosis
• Cirrhosis

Pancreas:
Alcohol causes the pancreas to produce toxic substances that can eventually lead to pancreatitis, a dangerous inflammation in the pancreas that causes its swelling and pain (which may spread) and impairs its ability to make enzymes and hormones for proper digestion. 
Cancer:
According to the National Cancer Institute: "There is a strong scientific consensus that alcohol drinking can cause several types of cancer. In its Report on Carcinogens, the National Toxicology Program of the US Department of Health and Human Services lists consumption of alcoholic beverages as a known human carcinogen.
"The evidence indicates that the more alcohol a person drinks–particularly the more alcohol a person drinks regularly over time–the higher his or her risk of developing an alcohol-associated cancer. Even those who have no more than one drink per day and people who binge drink (those who consume 4 or more drinks for women and 5 or more drinks for men in one sitting) have a modestly increased risk of some cancers. Based on data from 2009, an estimated 3.5% of cancer deaths in the United States (about 19,500 deaths were alcohol related."
Clear patterns have emerged between alcohol consumption and increased risks of certain types of cancer:

• Head and neck cancer, including oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx cancers.

• Esophageal cancer, particularly esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. In addition, people who inherit a deficiency in an enzyme that metabolizes alcohol have been found to have substantially increased risks of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma if they consume alcohol.

• Liver cancer.

• Breast cancer: Studies have consistently found an increased risk of breast cancer in women with increasing alcohol intake. Women who consume about 1 drink per day have a 5 to 9 percent higher chance of developing breast cancer than women who do not drink at all.

• Colorectal cancer.

For more information about alcohol and cancer, please visit the National Cancer Institute's webpage "Alcohol and Cancer Risk" (last accessed October 21, 2021).
Immune System:
Drinking too much can weaken your immune system, making your body a much easier target for disease.  Chronic drinkers are more liable to contract diseases like pneumonia and tuberculosis than people who do not drink too much.  Drinking a lot on a single occasion slows your body’s ability to ward off infections – even up to 24 hours after getting drunk.


For this and additional information, please visit the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism (NIAAA) online.

Released by CDC
Monday, February 5, 2024 

​The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Tips From Former Smokers® (Tips®) campaign returns today with new ads to encourage people to quit smoking. This year, seven new people are featured in the ads sharing their stories about how cigarette smoking and smoking-related diseases have negatively impacted their lives.
Many of this year’s new ads include messaging about the harms of menthol cigarettes, which can contribute to tobacco-related health disparities. Menthol in cigarettes can make it easier to start smoking and harder to quit. The Tips campaign promotes messages and free resources to help adults quit smoking. Year after year, the campaign has proven its effectiveness and has saved lives and money by helping more than one million U.S. adults to quit smoking and inspiring millions more to try to quit.
Real people, real stories inspire people to quit smoking
Tips tells the stories of more than 45 brave people from different backgrounds who have been impacted by the serious long-term health effects from smoking and secondhand smoke exposure. New 2024 ads feature the following people:

• Angie P. smoked menthol cigarettes because she thought it would help her cope with the fear that people around her would not accept that she is gay. She smoked for 26 years. She wants to encourage other LGBTQ+ people who smoke to love themselves and protect their health by quitting smoking.
• Elizabeth B. and Stephen B. Elizabeth smoked menthol cigarettes for 35 years. She has smoking-related peripheral artery disease, which makes walking difficult and sometimes painful. She also developed kidney cancer. Her husband, Stephen, helps take care of her.
• Ethan B. smoked menthol cigarettes for 39 years. He grew up seeing ads that convinced him smoking menthol cigarettes was “cool.” As an adult, he had multiple smoking-related strokes.
• John B. smoked for 22 years. He tried several different ways to quit smoking, but nothing seemed to work. He kept trying until he found the methods that worked best for him. Those methods included counseling and two quit-smoking medicines.
• Noel S. smoked menthol cigarettes for more than 20 years. He suffered a smoking-related heart attack at age 36. Noel quit smoking so he could be around to watch his younger family members grow up.
• Tammy W. ate healthy, exercised regularly, and ran marathons. She also smoked menthol cigarettes for 23 years. She told herself that menthol cigarettes were less harmful than non-menthol cigarettes. At age 44, she had severe heart disease and needed open heart surgery.

“While cigarette smoking among adults has declined, it remains the leading cause of preventable disease, disability and death in the United States, and some groups continue to be affected more than others,” said Deirdre Lawrence Kittner, PhD, MPH, Director of CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health. “The Tips campaign reaches adults with compelling messages and information to motivate them to quit smoking. It also promotes free resources that can help them quit – no matter who they are or where they live.”
Tips is the first federally-funded national tobacco education campaign. It uses multi-media platforms to increase the reach of quit smoking messages. Tips ads will run nationally on broadcast and cable TV, and on digital and social media channels. Additional ads will be placed to reach specific audiences including people who are African American, American Indian, Alaska Native, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders, LGBTQ+, and deaf or hard-of-hearing.
Menthol cigarettes contribute to tobacco-related health disparities in the United States
Though fewer people in the U.S. smoke cigarettes now than in recent decades, the use of menthol cigarettes among people who smoke has increased. This includes groups that already have higher percentages of tobacco use and tobacco-related health problems.
Tobacco companies add menthol to make their products seem less harsh and more appealing to people who have never used cigarettes. Menthol enhances the effects of nicotine on the brain and can make cigarettes even more addictive. People who smoke menthol cigarettes can be less likely to successfully quit than people who smoke non-menthol cigarettes.
Young people, racial and ethnic minority groups, LGBTQ+ people, women, people with a low income, and people with mental health conditions are more likely to smoke menthol cigarettes than other groups. Tobacco companies aggressively market menthol-flavored tobacco products to different groups of people, especially people who are African American. This marketing contributes to certain groups being more likely to smoke menthol cigarettes than other groups.
Quitting is possible and free resources are available
The Tips campaign promotes free resources to help adults quit smoking. Quitting smoking is beneficial at any age and is one of the most important steps people can take to improve their health. For free quit smoking resources and more information about the Tips campaign, including links to the ads, visit www.cdc.gov/Tips.

Heat-related deaths and illnesses are preventable. Despite this fact, more than 600 people in the United States are killed by extreme heat every year. The CDC has provided helpful tips, information, and resources to help you stay safe in the extreme heat this summer.

​Tips for Preventing Heat-Related Illness
Stay Cool
Stay Hydrated
Stay Informed

​Stay Cool
Wear Appropriate Clothing: Choose lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing.
Stay Cool Indoors: Stay in an air-conditioned place as much as possible. If your home does not have air conditioning, go to the shopping mall or public library—even a few hours spent in air conditioning can help your body stay cooler when you go back into the heat. Call your local health department to see if there are any heat-relief shelters in your area.

• Keep in mind: Electric fans may provide comfort, but when the temperature is in the high 90s, they will not prevent heat-related illness. Taking a cool shower or bath or moving to an air-conditioned place is a much better way to cool off. Use your stove and oven less to maintain a cooler temperature in your home.

Schedule Outdoor Activities Carefully: Try to limit your outdoor activity to when it’s coolest, like morning and evening hours. Rest often in shady areas so that your body has a chance to recover.
Pace Yourself: Cut down on exercise during the heat. If you’re not accustomed to working or exercising in a hot environment, start slowly and pick up the pace gradually. If exertion in the heat makes your heart pound and leaves you gasping for breath, STOP all activity. Get into a cool area or into the shade, and rest, especially if you become lightheaded, confused, weak, or faint.
Wear Sunscreen: Sunburn affects your body’s ability to cool down and can make you dehydrated. If you must go outdoors, protect yourself from the sun by wearing a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and by putting on sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher 30 minutes prior to going out. Continue to reapply it according to the package directions.

• Tip: Look for sunscreens that say “broad spectrum” or “UVA/UVB protection” on their labels- these products work best.

Do Not Leave Children in Cars: Cars can quickly heat up to dangerous temperatures, even with a window cracked open. While anyone left in a parked car is at risk, children are especially at risk of getting a heat stroke or dying. When traveling with children, remember to do the following:

• Never leave infants, children or pets in a parked car, even if the windows are cracked open.
• To remind yourself that a child is in the car, keep a stuffed animal in the car seat. When the child is buckled in, place the stuffed animal in the front with the driver.
• When leaving your car, check to be sure everyone is out of the car. Do not overlook any children who have fallen asleep in the car.

Avoid Hot and Heavy Meals: They add heat to your body!

​Stay Hydrated

Drink Plenty of Fluids: Drink more fluids, regardless of how active you are. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink.

• Warning: If your doctor limits the amount you drink or has you on water pills, ask how much you should drink while the weather is hot.
• Stay away from very sugary or alcoholic drinks—these actually cause you to lose more body fluid. Also avoid very cold drinks, because they can cause stomach cramps.

Replace Salt and Minerals: Heavy sweating removes salt and minerals from the body that need to be replaced. A sports drink can replace the salt and minerals you lose in sweat.

• If you are on a low-salt diet, have diabetes, high blood pressure, or other chronic conditions, talk with your doctor before drinking a sports beverage or taking salt tablets.

Keep Your Pets Hydrated: Provide plenty of fresh water for your pets, and leave the water in a shady area.


​Stay Informed

Check for Updates: Check your local news for extreme heat alerts and safety tips and to learn about any cooling shelters in your area.
Know the Signs: Learn the signs and symptoms of heat-related illnesses and how to treat them (see chart below).
Use a Buddy System: When working in the heat, monitor the condition of your co-workers and have someone do the same for you. Heat-induced illness can cause a person to become confused or lose consciousness. If you are 65 years of age or older, have a friend or relative call to check on you twice a day during a heat wave. If you know someone in this age group, check on them at least twice a day.
Monitor Those at High Risk: Although anyone at any time can suffer from heat-related illness, some people are at greater risk than others:

• Infants and young children
• People 65 years of age or older
• People who are overweight
• People who overexert during work or exercise
• People who are physically ill, especially with heart disease or high blood pressure, or who take certain medications, such as for depression, insomnia, or poor circulation

Visit adults at risk at least twice a day and closely watch them for signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Infants and young children, of course, need much more frequent watching.

For more information on this, visit CDC.GOV