That Second Glass of Spirits

I can claim chemo brain or ADD for forgetting your name or for missing an appointment...BUT I will not tolerate my own ineptitude for getting my facts all messed up when it comes down to my writing. Ask my husband, I am not a "fact magnet." I can't remember what someone told me downtown to tell him when I get home. "I ran into Mary and she said she had run into some friend of yours, can't remember who she said, at some function she was at sometime last week, or was it last month?" Drives him wild!

It must also drive him wild that I am working on a non-fiction book titled "Running From The Cancer Cooties." It's okay when I'm writing fiction to get a little goosey with my details, but not with this and I whole-heartedly agree.

That said, I have tried very hard to get my facts straight in the book. Now in my second editing, I have been going over my "tips" located throughout the book and collecting references to back up what I am saying.
During this process, I have found an inaccuracy I have been spouting to most of my girlfriends about alcohol and your health. I have been saying that after three drinks a week, any alcohol becomes detrimental to a woman's health, when in fact that is only true for breast cancer survivors. Indeed, the rate of recurrance rises drastically to 34% after that point. So now I can honestly say "No, one was enough. Any more could kill me." Dramatic, but true

If you have survived breast cancer, here’s an important article to read at: http://www.breastcancer.org/risk/new_research/20091210b.jsp

O.K. and for you non-cancerous survivors, here's something for you to read at:http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20410314,00.html  titled: Is Alcohol Actually Good for You? What's Right and Wrong With Drinking

One paragraph states:  What the experts say: Studies clearly show, too, that more than one drink a day makes you more prone to breast cancer. Researchers at the European Cancer Conference recently reported that the risk rises 10% for women who have between one and two drinks a day, compared with women who have less than one, and the risk increases by 30% at more than three drinks per day. And don’t think you lower the risk by drinking wine instead of beer or something harder. The same research says any kind of alcohol ups the risk. Uterine cancer risks go up at two or more drinks a day, as well. What does alcohol have against breasts and uteruses? Experts say it seems to boost estrogen levels, which in some cases cranks up cancer risks.

I stand corrected.

But, it still comes down to playing with a loaded gun, if you ask me. Not many of my friends limit themselves to one a day. Especially once the weekend is here.

Let me ask you this. Do you want to be where I have been? Do you want to suffer with your scars and cut-up body parts? With every look in your mirror? Is over-consuming (meaning 3 drinks a day) every weekend worth what this could do to your family and friends if you are one of the ones that doesn't survive cancer? 

This applies to pre and post-menopausal women. You can run but you can't hide.

I hate to be the heavy here, but a fact is a fact. Please keep this in the front and not the back of your mind the next time you raise that second glass of spirits to your lips. 

And let's all drink to our health! Make mine a double water, heavy on the anxiety-free, please.