U.S. Surgeon General Issues New Advisory on Link Between Alcohol and Cancer Risk

Evidence suggests that cancer was a lot less prevalent before the modern era, yet people have consumed alcohol for thousands of years. In fact, a number of non-human mammals are known to consume alcohol, apparently for recreational reasons.

I understand the impulse to eliminate all possible risks from your life, but this risk seems pretty low compared to many that we take on without a second thought. Freeway driving, processed foods, UV exposure, tobacco, a sedentary lifestyle -- it seems to me that these are a lot more dangerous than moderate alcohol use.

I also have heard that a number of public health agencies have recently been "infiltrated" by members of a group that is vociferously anti-alcohol. It may be no accident that the perils of the demon rum have been in the news lately.

What about alcohol-based mouthwash?