Yes, it's clearly bad news, but the world isn't quite so simple. The conclusions you draw depend upon the questions you ask. Suppose for a moment that what yo

Yes, it's clearly bad news, but the world isn't quite so simple. The conclusions you draw depend upon the questions you ask. Suppose for a moment that what you say is completely true, and that there is a direct linear relationship between alcohol consumption and cancer incidence. Drinking more would clearly be detrimental. But would drinking moderately be an acceptable risk? It really depends upon whether alcohol has advantages which make it worth taking that risk. Given that it has its uses in social situations, and might help alleviate stress and help ones general wellbeing, it might well have advantages for promulgating the species and longevity. None of which is to say that being a carcinogen with a lot of other nasty effects is good, just that biology and human behaviour are very complex, and that there may be a host of subtle and not-so-subtle factors which also need to be taken into consideration.