Summary: Addiction is a global pandemic, affecting millions in every nation. It is a kind of mental health disorder that requires treatment. However, data shows that 90% of people do not seek medical attention for their addiction. There are many barriers to seeking medical help, like high costs, inability to travel, and low patient privacy. Quit Genius plans to overcome these barriers and improve addiction treatment by providing telehealth services and investing in clinical research. They have already raised $64 million for their project.

Addiction is a severe problem affecting millions of lives. It is a pandemic in every way and yet remains neglected. No nation is free from the problem, though its severity might vary. It means that there is much still to be done in the sphere of addiction treatment. Addiction treatment urgently needs innovation and investments if we want to tame this pandemic.

Not many people are seeking addiction treatment

US addiction statistics are better viewed as an epidemic within the pandemic. Data suggests that 21 million Americans are addicted to one or another thing. Though many believe these are still conservative estimates, real numbers are greater. However, more worrisome is the fact that most people do not seek addiction treatment. Even in the US, just about 10% receive treatment.

These low addiction treatment rates are especially problematic as substance abuse or drug addiction remains prevalent. This is despite being a readily treatable condition. In addition, the annual death rate due to drug overdose is rising. Another worrisome fact is that addiction mainly affects young adults, resulting in significant economic losses for the nations.

Addiction could be too many things, but a more significant concern remains substance misuse. About 15 million people in the US regularly abuse alcohol, more than 2 million are living with opioid addiction, and a few million are addicted to street drugs.

Doctors these days do not see addiction as merely a bad habit, or social issue, as they thought a few decades back. Extensive research into the subject shows that some individuals are prone to addiction. It is a kind of mental health disorder that must be treated.

There are multiple barriers to seeking addiction treatment

However, experts also realize that there is a need to have an innovative approach to addiction treatment to overcome barriers to seeking treatment. Studies show that some of the most significant barriers to seeking addiction treatment are:

● High treatment costs or perceived high treatment costs
● The belief that one can overcome the condition without treatment
● Do not know where to seek medical attention
● Worried that people around will learn about addiction
● Health insurance does not pay for addiction treatment
● It may negatively effect on job
● Disbelief in treatment methods

Quit Genius intends to simplify addiction treatment

One of the ways out could be putting the new technology at work for addiction treatment. Thus, Quit Genius wants to develop a telehealth solution for addiction treatment.

They believe that this would help overcome many barriers to addiction treatment. For example, telehealth can provide better information, help reduce costs, discreetness, and more.

Thus, Quit Genius has already raised $64 million, and they are confident that their approach can significantly impact addiction treatment. They do not just plan to help manage addiction but also focus on investing in addiction research. More significant investment in clinical research would help improve treatment programs.

Founders of Quite Genius believe that telehealth is the way forward as people are now less hesitant to see such a kind of help since they know that there is a person on the other side, too. Thus, now people know that telehealth can provide personalized treatment and emotional support, yet seeking such help does not require much time.

Summary: More than 85% of US adults report drinking alcohol, and data suggests that about 25% of the population engages in binge drinking. Additionally, it appears that about 6% of adults are addicted to alcohol. Prolonged alcohol abuse causes premature death due to many causes like a motor vehicle accident or liver disease. The new study suggests that Covid-19 intake has increased alcohol-related deaths. This may be due to increased mental stress, work-from-home culture, and other reasons.

Alcohol consumption is pretty common and is a part of western culture. Thus, no surprise that all reputed localities are laced with pubs, bars, and more. It is common for people to have a drink after a hard working day. A drink helps relax and communicate and is an enjoyable activity. Though most people know that excessive alcohol can harm health, many do not realize the scale of the problem. This may explain the rate of increasing deaths due to alcohol addiction.

US data shows that about 85% of all adults drink alcohol. However, casual alcohol drinking is not an issue. But US statistics are alarming as they show that one-fourth of US adults engage in binge drinking. As a result, one-fourth of the population is at the risk of developing excessive alcohol consumption-related disorders and premature death.

Studies also suggest that about 7% of adults in the US are living with alcohol addiction. An estimated 14.5 million people older than 12 years of age have alcohol abuse disorder (AUD). AUD or alcohol addiction is a disease that must be treated; else, it may harm health severely. But, regretfully, only about 10% of those living with AUD or alcohol addiction seek treatment for the condition. Instead of seeking for their alcohol addiction treatment, people are more likely to seek treatment for health disorders caused by excessive drinking.

Alcohol addiction or excessive drinking may cause premature death for many reasons, like motor vehicle accidents, homicides, alcohol overdose, suicides, liver disease, kidney failure, and cancer. What is worrisome is that people of working age are more likely to consume alcohol excessively. Excessive alcohol use now causes more than 140,000 deaths in the US annually. It means about one in ten deaths among working-age adults is due to excessive alcohol use.

What the new studies add to the current understanding of alcohol addiction is that excessive alcohol use-related deaths are rising. It confirms the worrisome trend. Although in the last few decades, there is not much change in the rate of alcohol consumption, but more people are engaging in binge drinking.

The study was especially done by keeping in mind the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic on alcohol consumption habits. Covid-19 caused significant stress. Additionally, more people started working from home. The study confirmed that this resulted in excessive alcohol intake. This resulted in a slight increase in alcohol-related deaths in the US from 2.8% in 2019 to 3% in 2020.

Although data may show only a minor increase in alcohol-related deaths, nonetheless, the numbers are significant. Moreover, it shows an upward trend, something that cannot be neglected.

Alcohol consumption in moderation does pose many health threats. However, binge drinking (four or more drinks) or heavy drinking (eight or more drinks) can significantly harm health. To prevent deaths associated with excessive alcohol consumption, people should seek attention for alcohol use disorder (AUD) and not for health complications arising from alcohol addiction.

Treating alcohol addiction or AUD is different from treating drug addiction. AUD is often the result of years of alcohol use. Quite often, a person may not even realize that he or she is living with the condition. Most such individuals start by drinking alcohol in moderate amounts. However, with time or due to stress, they might begin abusing alcohol.

Summary: Alcohol consumption is socially accepted; in many cultures, it is even a sign of adulthood. However, many people start drinking alcohol excessively. It seems that some people are susceptible to alcoholism. Alcoholism is a severe health issue. However, there is still a lack of good understanding of the problem. There is no single test that can help confirm the diagnosis. Nonetheless, there are now clearly defined alcoholism stages and proven ways to manage alcohol addiction. Thus, those addicted to alcohol must seek suboxone treatment, understanding that being sober is the new high.

Humans have consumed alcohol for ages. Its consumption is socially accepted. Not only that, in many societies, particularly in western nations, drinking alcohol is considered a sign of growing up as some say that only children must be sober.

All this means that millions of people consume alcohol regularly. Studies suggest that almost 85% of adults in the US consume alcohol. About five to six percent of the total US adults are addicted to alcohol. It means that they are living with alcoholism.

One of the issues with alcoholism is that it does not have well-defined boundaries. It is unclear who is an alcoholic. There are no tests or biomarkers that can be done to diagnose alcoholism. It means that alcoholism is mainly diagnosed clinically or indirectly.

There is also good news. Studies also show that consuming alcohol is not considered chic anymore. Therefore, there is some decline in excessive alcohol drinking. There has been a decline in alcohol consumption even in the last few years. 

It means that an increasing number of people realize the dangers of excessive alcohol drinking. And thus, many people now recognize that drinking alcohol is not essentially cool. 

Alcohol addiction is a severe health problem

These days, excessive alcohol consumption is not more regarded as a habit or a lack of willpower to control oneself. Instead, medical science now views excessive alcohol consumption as a health disorder.

In fact, medical science now defines the three stages of alcohol dependence. It starts with the first stage, when a person begins consuming alcohol frequently. Although, at this stage, a person does not have many issues with alcohol, nonetheless, they seek a reason to drink. For example, during the first stage, a person starts drinking alcohol to combat boredom, celebrate something, and combat loneliness.

During the first stage, the body starts adapting to alcohol. It means that such individuals do not show many signs of alcohol consumption and can even function well when intoxicated. In addition, these people can resist some of the effects of alcohol.

These individuals start developing physical and mental dependence from the middle or second stage. Their organs start becoming dependent on alcohol. Their heart starts beating irregularly, which causes damage to their heart muscles. Excessive drinking causes changes in the liver and gastrointestinal tract. They start drinking habitually and start developing erratic behavior. They also show withdrawal symptoms like nausea, sweating, and severe irritability.

Finally, many develop late-stage alcohol dependence. It is a full-blown alcohol dependency. It is a stage that is called alcoholism. These people live with severe malnutrition, liver disease, low immunity, heart disease, and other physical and mental ailments. They often suffer from blackouts and memory loss. 

As one can understand, the third stage of alcohol dependence is a full-blown health disorder that requires medical treatment. 

Overcoming alcohol addiction

It is vital to understand that alcohol addiction shares many traits with drug addiction. Therefore, one must be similarly treated for alcohol addiction. In the US, a 12-step program for addiction treatment is commonly used. But, of course, it is not the only way to treat addiction, but one of the recommendations.

It has some important components, like realizing helplessness in overcoming addiction. It is also about believing that higher power can help and then asking the higher power to help. Finally, it is about making a list of shortcomings and then trying to overcome them. This 12-step program is also about maintaining the personal inventory, admitting when one is wrong, and more.

The good thing about the 12-step program is that it focuses much on boosting inner strength and enabling people to overcome their addiction by themselves. Of course, no single method may work for all. Many people cannot overcome addictions through this program or sheer willpower. In such cases, seeking specialized treatment for the addiction is the way forward. It is vital to understand that being sober is the new high.

Summary: Alcohol consumption is common, but only a few people are prone to alcohol addiction or alcohol use disorder (AUD). These are often people with some emotional deficit and struggle to control their alcohol intake. It appears that altered gut microbiota can also alter emotional responses and thus increase the risk of AUD. These alterations may occur due to various reasons. New studies confirm that gut microbiota is altered in those living with AUD. Hence, normalizing gut microbiota along with telehealth treatment can be one way to manage alcohol addiction.

In the last few decades, researchers have given significant attention to billions of bacteria and fungi living in the human body, particularly in the gut. These beneficial bacteria and fungi in the gut are called microbiota. There are more of these tiny organisms in our body than the total number of body cells. It means that these billions of microbes must be playing some essential role in human health.

 

When it comes to the role of microbiota, science has still only scratched the surface. However, researchers know that humans have evolved in a way that they cannot live a healthy life if the population of microbiota is disrupted. Microbiota produces nutrients, vitamins, hormones, and other biologically active compounds.

 

Further, it seems that the gut plays a vital role in the brain’s health and microbiota in the gut’s health. For example, the gut produces 90% of serotonin, an important neurotransmitter, which plays a significant role in brain functioning and mental health. However, the gut also produces other neuropeptides. Thus, researchers call this gut and brain relation “the gut-brain axis.” Since microbiota can significantly influence this axis, the researchers have coined a new term, “microbiota-gut-brain axis.”

 

It seems that microbiota play a vital role in the production of many bioactive compounds that can influence the working of the brain. Thus, changes in microbiota may increase the risk of mood disorders and various mental health issues and may even play a role in alcohol addiction.

 

In one of the recent events, The FENS Forum 2022, some of the leading neurologists discussed their findings regarding how gut microbiota alterations may promote alcohol addiction. They presented their findings in the panel session – “Unravelling the role of the gut microbiome in addiction.”

 

The gut and the binge drinking

 

The studies show that one is more likely to see changes in gut microbiota in those who engage in binge drinking. It seems that altered gut microbiota can affect emotional responses and promote impulsivity.

 

Stress, microbiota, and alcohol dependency

Another opinion shared by Dr. Benjamin Boutrel was that stress causes changes in the gut microbiota in some individuals. And animal experiments suggest that these people often suffer from severe alcohol dependency.

 

Gut microbiota, hormones, and alcohol dependency

Dr. Lorenzo Leggio presented the findings in which he outlined the role of altered levels of the “hunger hormone,” ghrelin, in developing alcohol dependence. In addition, it appears that changes in gut microbiota may also alter ghrelin levels in the body.

 

Transplanting gut bacteria to explore their role in alcohol use disorder (AUD)

In yet another presentation, Pr. Nathalie Delzenne presented the findings from the research done by her team at UC Louvain. Science knows that people living with alcohol use disorders (AUD) have some emotional issues or deficits. By planting the bacteria from people living with AUD to lab mice, she could demonstrate the role of altered microbiota in changed emotional responses and AUD.

 

There are exciting times as researchers are exploring an entirely new way to treat alcohol use disorder (AUD), that is, by focusing on normalizing the gut microbiota. However, this also highlights the importance of diet and nutrition, particularly dietary fiber, in managing AUD.

Summary: About 5% of US adults are living with alcohol use disorder (AUD). However, only one-fifth of them ever seek treatment for the condition. People do not seek treatment as they dislike treatment modalities, hence the need to find new treatments for AUD. The new study shows that yoga and aerobic exercises can control cravings and reduce alcohol intake.

Alcohol consumption is pretty common in the US and globally. In the US, 70-80% of adults drink alcohol quite regularly. In addition, about 5% of adults in the US are living with alcohol use disorder (AUD). It means that they are addicted to alcohol, frequently abuse alcohol, and engage in binge drinking.

As one can see that only a small fraction of those who consume alcohol are living with AUD, a kind of mental health disease. Though researchers are unsure of why some develop this condition, they think it is due to some intrinsic differences.

AUD is associated with significant mortality. It is among the leading causes of death in young adults. Not only that, but AUD also causes numerous other health issues. Those living with AUD are also more likely to be living with anxiety and depression. In addition, AUD often occurs with other issues like tobacco abuse.

Barriers to seeking help

Though there are many effective ways to treat AUD, like psychological therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and medical drugs, but many do not seek AUD treatment. Studies show that no more than 20% of those living with AUD will ever seek medical help.

It appears that there are many reasons why people do not seek medical help, like the stigma attached to the condition. Some are dissatisfied with the existing therapies. Many people will not like to spend time in opioid addiction treatment centers. Others are discouraged by the side effects of medical drugs. All this means there is a need to find treatments with greater acceptability. A kind of treatment that is more readily accessible to millions of adults living with AUD.

Yoga and aerobic exercise may help reduce alcohol consumption

In the new study, researchers tested the role of aerobic exercise and yoga in reducing alcohol intake. They carried out a study on 140 adults living with AUD. They divided them into three groups: one group doing yoga, the second group doing aerobic exercise, and the third group were given standard treatment. They were asked to engage in exercise a minimum of three times a week, and the study continued for 12 weeks.

To monitor their patients, doctors used various blood tests and accelerometers. They found that alcohol consumption was reduced significantly in all three groups. However, they found the most significant reduction in the yoga group. In addition, they found that yoga was not inferior to usual AUD treatment, and aerobic exercise of just slightly less effective.

However, it is worth understanding that the benefits of yoga and aerobic training were not limited to reduced alcohol intake. These interventions also resulted in reduced anxiety and improved mood. They also found that exercise was good for reducing alcohol cravings. The impact of exercise was especially high for the next few hours.

Thus, researchers think that the best time to engage in yoga and exercise is at times when the craving is maximum. Hence, it would be good to engage in exercise in the afternoon or in the evening. This will help counter cravings and thus reduce alcohol use.

Researchers say that there could be many ways in which exercise helps. For example, exercise appears to make people feel good and thus can modulate dopaminergic or reward pathways. Exercise can also help by boosting self-esteem.

Summary: Tobacco smoking is a significant cause of many diseases like lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, and immune dysfunction, to name a few. Fortunately, smoking rates have declined during the last few decades. This has also resulted in a reduced incidence of lung cancer and many other smoking-associated conditions. Nonetheless, smoking still remains a significant health concern. 12.5% of the population still continues to smoke. Therefore, there is a need to find effective ways to help people quit smoking. One of the good ways to help people is nicotine replacement therapy. However, the new study shows that nicotine replacement therapy is almost twice more effective if combined with intensive telephone-based counseling.

Smoking, particularly tobacco or cigarette smoking, can be pretty harmful to health. It can harm almost every organ of the human body. Thus, no surprise that despite declining smoking rates, about 16 million adults are still living with smoking-related ailments. Smoking is a significant cause of lung cancer, various lung diseases, heart disease, stroke, COPD, immune dysfunction, and more.

 

Fortunately, people now realize the health risks posed by smoking. This is evident from the falling rates of smoking. Just in the last couple of decades, millions have quit smoking. As a result, smoking rates since 2005 have fallen from 20.9% to 12.5%. This has also helped reduce lung cancer rates significantly and reduce cancer-related mortality. Nonetheless, a considerable population continues to smoke, and thus the need to find ways to reduce smoking rates as further.

 

Smoking continues to pose a significant health threat

 

To know how addictive cigarettes are; smoking still continues to kill close to half a million people in the US alone each year. The fight against tobacco is far from over. Therefore, there is a need to find ways to help more and more people quit smoking.

 

At present, there are many ways to help people quit smoking. One of the well-known and effective ways to reduce or quit smoking is using nicotine-based chewing gums. These gums contain small amounts of nicotine to reduce tobacco craving. These nicotine-containing gums are still harmful to health, but they help.

 

It appears that in many cases, simple methods work, like practicing relaxation techniques and reminding individuals to quit smoking. The new study shows that reminding people to quit smoking over the telephone may also help. It seems that telephone-based counseling is especially useful when used with other methods like nicotine replacement therapy.

 

A new study confirms the effectiveness of intensive telephone-based counseling

 

Recently Georgetown University Medical Center carried out a study in which they explored the role of intensive telephone-based counseling in smoking cessation. It is interestingly studied as it enrolled long-term smokers aged 50-80 years of age. They enrolled 818 habitual smokers in the study. Some people have been smoking for more than ten years.

 

They randomly divided these individuals into two groups. One group was given nicotine replacement therapy (like nicotine gum, patches, and so on) along with usual health advice. However, another group was given intensive telephone-based counseling along with nicotine replacement therapy.

 

The researchers were amazed to see that smoking cessation rates were double in those with intensive telephone counseling. In those with regular treatment and counseling, the smoking cessation rate was 7.9% after three months. However, this rate was 14.3% after three months in those who received intensive telephone counseling.

 

These smoking cessation rates were measured through self-report by the patients. However, researchers also decided to check if patients were telling the truth. Thus, they checked their patients with the help of saliva strips for carbon monoxide to confirm the smoking cessation rates. And they found that though actual smoking cessation rates were a bit lower, in those with intensive telephone counseling, smoking cessation rates were twice as higher than in another group.

 

This study confirms the benefit of medical counseling and use of telemedicine addiction treatment in smoking cessation. Although one can buy nicotine replacement patches and gums without a doctor’s prescription, this study shows that smoking cessation rates would be much higher in those who would seek medical advice. This highlights the importance of specialized clinics in helping people quit smoking.

Summary: Depression is the most common mental health disorder. Although it may affect most people in their lifetime, 8.4% of Americans live with severe depression, also called Major Depression. Tens of medications and telehealth treatment are available to treat the condition, and patients have to take them for years. However, many fail to benefit from prolonged treatment. The new study shows that genetic testing may help identify the right kind of antidepressants for patients, and thus it can help improve treatment outcomes.

For those living with depression, getting treatment that helps is a significant issue. It means that millions of people continue to live with depression despite taking many medications. The new study provides hope, showing that genetic testing may help improve treatment outcomes.

Anxiety and depression are the two most common mood disorders. These are also the most common mental health disorders globally. Among the two, depression is a more severe condition since it is associated with fatal outcomes. People with severe or major depression may show suicidal tendencies.

Depression may affect about one-third of adults in their lifetime. Fortunately, most are affected by mild to moderate depression, which is often a self-limiting mental health issue. However, US data suggests that about 8.4% or 21 million US adults may experience major depressive episodes. Unlike mild to moderate depression, Major depression is a severe illness requiring pharmacological treatment.

Some signs of major depression include lack of sleep, energy, concentration, low self-worth, and even suicidal thoughts. Thus, it is something that must be treated in all cases.

Identifying the right antidepressant is challenging

There are a plethora of antidepressant drugs. However, the problem is that none of these medications work for all; thus, choosing the proper medication is a significant challenge. Even worse, many fail to experience substantial benefits even after taking multiple drugs. In addition, many fail to respond to prolonged drug therapy.

Although there are many antidepressants, the major problem is finding the right drug that may work for that particular individual. There is no reliable way to know which drug is the best for a given patient. However, if there were a way or medical test that could suggest the right antidepressant for an individual, then the treatment would be much better.

Genetic testing may help identify the right antidepressant for an individual

It appears that a study by the US Department of Veterans Affairs has identified the way of finding the right drug for various patients. They have also found a way to improve the efficacy of the treatment. In addition, specific genetic tests may help identify the right kind of drugs for various patients.

This genetic testing is not for depression or genes associated with depression. Instead, it is about understanding how a person metabolizes specific medications. For example, all antidepressants are metabolized in the liver. The liver metabolizes these drugs using CYP450 enzymes or metabolic pathways. These enzymes seem more active in some and less active in others. Thus, the same antidepressant medication may be quickly metabolized in one and much slower in another. Hence the difference in the drug efficacy.

In the study that included 2000 patients, researchers carried out gene testing. They found that 59% of patients who have undergone gene testing could receive medications without known drug-gene interaction. On the contrary, only 26% of patients received such medicines in the control group.

Since genetic testing helps select the right kind of medications. Researchers found that at 12 weeks, the drop in depression symptoms in those with genetic testing was much more than in those who were not tested. However, the study also found that at about 24 weeks, the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant.

This study shows that genetic testing may help provide faster relief from major depression in many instances. Although, in the long run, it does not seem to affect the treatment outcomes much.
This is among the first studies of this kind, which is significant because it has a large sample size (number of participants). Thus, the study is highly reliable. Nonetheless, there is still a need for more studies to start recommending genetic tests for those living with major depression. However, this study confirms that genetic testing can be included in treating major depression, as it can help select the right antidepressants.

Summary: Alcohol overuse or alcohol use disorder is associated with higher mortality, especially in young adults. People understand that alcohol increases the risk of health issues like liver disease, pancreatitis, and motor vehicle accidents. However, people do not realize that AUD may also considerably increase cancer risk. Fortunately, new studies also show that quitting alcohol may help reduce this elevated cancer risk.

It is no secret that most adults in the US consume alcohol. However, some may become addicted to alcohol. Few people, about 5% of alcohol users, start consuming alcohol in excessive amounts. Some so-called heavy drinkers frequently engage in binge drinking. These are people living with alcohol addiction or alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Some risks related to AUD are well known to people, like the increased risk of motor vehicle accidents and other kinds of accidents. Unusual aggression and associated trauma. AUD may also cause liver and kidney damage and is associated with a greater risk of pancreatitis. Alcohol addiction is among the leading causes of death in young adults.

However, what many people do not realize is that alcohol also considerably increases the risk of different types of cancers. For some cancer types, alcohol may increase the risk by as much as 30% or even more.

Thus, studies in the US show that high alcohol consumption may increase the risk of cancer anyway between 3-8%. So, on average, high alcohol consumption contributes to about 5% of cases of cancer. Though 5% may not sound significant, but it is worth understanding that cancer is among the top five causes of premature death in the US. Thus, it means that alcohol accounts for 75,000 cancer cases each year and causes more than 18,000 deaths.

Here it is worth understanding that when statistics say that alcohol use disorder kills 140,000 people each year, these statistics do not include deaths caused by cancer that occurs due to AUD. So it means that AUD is causing far more deaths than statistics show.

Studies also suggest that AUD contributes disproportionately to various cancer risks. Thus, it is among the leading causes of oral cavity cancers in the US. However, it also contributes considerably to breast, colon, rectal, and liver cancers.

However, there is good news, too. One of the most extensive studies to date shows that this risk can be significantly reduced. Moreover, this new study shows that this increased risk of cancer is primarily seen in heavy drinkers, people who drink alcohol regularly.

In a new study published in the journal JAMA, researchers analyzed the data of more than four million adults with a follow-up period of more than six years.

The study found that mild alcohol consumption did not increase cancer risk much. Cancer risk increased significantly only in heavy drinkers or those living with AUD.

There were many other encouraging findings in the study. It appears that cancer risk can be reduced by quitting drinking. The study found that once someone stops abusing alcohol, cancer risk still remains high for some time. However, after some time of abstinence, like a year or more, cancer risk is significantly reduced. Thus, those who quit drinking alcohol or drink in small amounts have a reduced cancer risk, and the risk is almost similar to non-drinkers.

Here it is worth understanding that a follow-up period of about six years is not long for understanding the cancer risk associated with AUD. Thus, this risk may be much higher in reality as most people living with AUD continue to abuse alcohol for years or even decades. Another limitation of this study is that it was in Asians.

Despite some limitations, this study highlights one very important and often neglected factor: AUD is also associated with increased cancer risk. Moreover, reducing alcohol intake appears to reduce cancer risk, too.