As New Year's Eve revelers across the world clinked glasses and ordered rounds, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy was in the midst of delivering a grave message about alcohol, a drug that fits neatly into both our highest highs and lowest lows.

On January 3, the US Surgeon General issued an advisory on the association between alcohol and the risk of cancer. The advisory outlines current scientific literature and concludes that alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States.

US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy warned in a recent advisory about alcohol use increasing cancer risk. The advisory notes that alcohol can increase the risk of throat, liver, esophageal, mouth, larynx (voice box),