Lose the booze for Cancer Prevention Action Week 2025 as we highlight the links between alcohol and cancer.
Cancer Prevention Action Week is World Cancer Research Fund’s annual campaign to highlight what we can all do to reduce our risk of cancer and encourage everyone to take action, along with our many supporters.
For Cancer Prevention Action Week 2025, which takes place from 17–23 February 2025, we want to spread awareness of the cancer risks of drinking alcohol, and hold the government to account in creating an environment where everyone can choose to reduce their alcohol consumption.
There is strong evidence that all types of alcoholic drink can increase the risk of at least 6 cancers:
Alcoholic drinks are also high in calories and often high in sugar, increasing your risk of gaining weight. Living with overweight or obesity increases our risk of at least 13 different types of cancer.
Cutting back on alcohol – or, ideally, stopping entirely – is always a good idea for our health. After all, it’s one of our scientifically backed and fully evidenced Cancer Prevention Recommendations. There’s never been a better time to #LoseTheBooze, with many alternatives to alcohol widely available. More people are taking up the “‘sober curious”’ lifestyle and reaping its health benefits.
Consider how you can #LoseTheBooze in your own life and set an encouraging example for others to follow. Why not replace a drink with a donation to World Cancer Research Fund as a reminder of why it’s so important to be aware of how much, when, and why you drink?
Making a personal choice to #LoseTheBooze is only one part of Cancer Prevention Action Week. We also need to put pressure on governments to develop a new alcohol strategy, which should include:
These would help create a healthier environment for us to all live in, and minimise the harms caused by alcohol. Everyone deserves to live in a society where they can make their own informed choices about their health. With our stats showing that 40% of people remain unaware that alcohol increases the risk of cancer, that just isn’t the case yet.
