Women, Alcohol, and Breast Cancer: The Uncomfortable Truth, and Why It’s Time for Change

It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and while awareness campaigns and pink ribbons fly, there’s a glaring truth that’s being overlooked: alcohol is directly linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. A recent study by Flinders University revealed that only 1 in 5 women in Australia are aware of this link. That means 80% of women are completely unaware of the risks they face when they reach for a glass of wine, beer, or a cocktail.

This is not just an abstract statistic. This lack of awareness could have life-altering consequences, and it's time we start addressing this uncomfortable truth. It’s time to share the information that can save lives—but it must be done thoughtfully. It’s not about making women feel guilty or lecturing them. It’s about empowerment, knowledge, and encouraging informed decisions.

Alcohol and Breast Cancer: The Facts

Let’s start with the basics. Alcohol is a Level 1 carcinogen, meaning it is known to cause cancer in humans. The link between alcohol and breast cancer is clear and well-documented. The more alcohol a woman drinks, the higher her risk of developing breast cancer. Research shows that even light drinking - about one drink a day - can increase the risk. Three drinks a week can increase a woman’s chance of developing breast cancer by 15%. For women who consume more than this regularly, the risk becomes significantly higher. According to Cancer Council Australia, alcohol is responsible for approximately 1 in 5 breast cancer cases. That’s a sobering fact, yet women generally are largely unaware.

What makes this issue even more disturbing is the failure to communicate these risks to women. Four out of five women are consuming alcohol without fully understanding the risks it poses to their health.

The Lancet’s Call to Action

This is where public policy needs to step in. Earlier this year, The Lancet - one of the most respected medical journals - called for policy makers to ban the commercial marketing of products linked to breast cancer, and it explicitly named alcohol. This call to action comes in response to alarming predictions that by 2040, there could be 4 million breast cancer diagnoses each year. The marketing of alcohol, especially to women, has played a significant role in normalising its consumption and obscuring its risks. It’s time for governments and health organisations to acknowledge the role that alcohol plays in breast cancer diagnoses and start treating it with the same seriousness as tobacco.

While some may argue that adults should be free to make their own choices, informed decisions can only happen when people have all the facts. And right now, the information about alcohol’s link to breast cancer isn’t being communicated effectively, leaving women to bear the consequences.

The Marketing of Alcohol to Women: A Growing Problem

As much as we need public policy to curb the marketing of alcohol, we also need to address the aggressive targeting of women by Big Alcohol. In the past 30 years, the alcohol industry has made a deliberate and calculated effort to appeal to women, often using messages that associate drinking with empowerment, relaxation, and self-care. Whether it’s a glass of wine to unwind after a stressful day or a colourful, Instagram-ready cocktail at brunch, the messaging is clear: drinking is fun, glamorous, and an integral part of being a modern woman.

The Cancer Council of Australia wrote an article on the “Instagrammability of pink drinks,” which highlights how Big Alcohol has directly and consistently targeted women through appealing visuals and clever marketing. Alcohol companies have found ways to make their products synonymous with femininity, celebration, and even health - pink-hued cocktails, low-calorie beers, and so-called ‘wellness wines’ all contribute to a carefully crafted narrative that drinking is harmless and chic.

But what these ads conveniently leave out is the very real risk of breast cancer that comes with alcohol consumption. Women are not just being sold alcohol -they are being sold a false sense of security, where the potential dangers are minimised or completely ignored.

It’s Not Your Fault: The Role of Normalisation and Messaging

The most important thing I want to stress is that this isn’t about blaming individual women. The onus is not on us to somehow know the risks when we’ve been inundated with messaging that alcohol is a normal, even healthy, part of life. In fact, the normalisation of alcohol in women’s lives is one of the biggest barriers to understanding the risks. We’ve been conditioned to see drinking as an essential part of socialising, relaxing, and even celebrating our achievements. Society has fed us the idea that a glass of wine after work is a reward, a way to de-stress and bond with friends.

This normalisation is driven by a relentless marketing machine that prioritises profits over health. It’s no wonder that women, who are constantly targeted by these messages, are largely unaware of the dangers. It’s not that women are ignoring the risks - it’s that the risks aren’t being presented to us in a meaningful way.

I’ve written about this extensively in my book, Beyond Booze, How to Create a Life You Love Alcohol Free, particularly in a chapter that discusses the targeting of women by the alcohol industry. It’s the chapter I receive the most feedback about because it resonates deeply with women who’ve never been presented with this perspective before. They realise that they’ve been manipulated into believing that alcohol is harmless, even beneficial. This realisation can be eye-opening - and life-saving.

The Uncomfortable Truth: Why We Need to Talk About This

This topic is uncomfortable for many people, and I understand why. Alcohol is deeply ingrained in our culture, and for many women, it feels like a well-deserved treat or a necessary coping mechanism. Women are often in an emotional relationship with alcohol. With that in mind, it’s time to start having honest conversations in a compassionate, non-judgmental way. The goal isn’t to make women feel guilty for drinking or to imply that they are to blame for their health risks. Instead, it’s about providing women with the information they need to make informed choices.

Moving Forward: What Needs to Change

So, what can we do? For starters, we need better public health campaigns that communicate the risks of alcohol and breast cancer without being condescending or fear-mongering. Women deserve the truth, but they also deserve to receive it in a way that doesn’t make them feel ashamed.

In addition, we need stronger regulation of alcohol marketing. Just as we’ve seen with tobacco, it’s time for governments to step in and restrict the marketing of alcohol, particularly to women. Companies shouldn’t be allowed to profit off products that are directly linked to a higher risk of breast cancer without being held accountable.

Lastly, we need to continue challenging the normalisation of alcohol in our culture. This doesn’t mean demonising drinking entirely, but it does mean questioning why alcohol is so often presented as a solution to life’s challenges or a reward for hard work. Women deserve better.

If you're ready to change your relationship with alcohol, my book Beyond Booze, How To Create A Life You Love Alcohol Free has all the help you need. Grab a copy here.

Resources...

Gender-responsive approaches to acceptability, availability and affordability of alcohol.
‘Instagrammability of pink drinks’ report
The symbolic consumption processes associated with ‘low-calorie’ and ‘low-sugar’ alcohol products and Australian women.
Gender-responsive health promotion for women: regulating the sociopolitical landscape of alcohol product marketing
An honest conversation about alcohol and cancer.