You walk in the door after a crappy day at work and the bottle of red on the kitchen bench is calling your name.

You deserve it. Today you have listened to your colleague debrief about her latest run-in with your boss. You remembered to pack your kid's lunch, hat, swim carnival note and homework. You organised the plumber to come and fix the blocked toilet. And you bought your best friend a birthday present.

It's a reward, right?

"You're not thinking that bottle of wine will cause cancer," says Professor Emmanuel Kuntsche, director of the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research at La Trobe University.

But it can.

Earlier this year, research from UNSW found alcohol to be one of the leading preventable causes of breast cancer. Other research shows fewer than half of Aussies are aware of that link.

Alcohol consumption is also connected to many other health problems such as liver disease and depression.

The problem is that over the years there has been a lot of focus on the notion that moderate drinking is OK — even healthy.

These conflicting perspectives have made it confusing for those us trying to decide whether to have a glass of wine or not. And the news that health experts believe the alcohol industry is meddling with Australia's plan for tackling alcohol harm shows a real need for Australians to be aware of industry messaging.

In a bid to help people understand the real impacts of their drinking, UK researchers decided to compare the impact of wine drinking to cigarette smoking.

They found drinking one bottle a week increases the risk of cancer in women as much as smoking 10 cigarettes (equalling an increase in absolute cancer risk of 1.4 per cent).

Understanding a standard drink A standard drink contains 10 grams of alcohol.

A standard drink contains 10 grams of alcohol. Typical servings are larger than standard drink size.

Typical servings are larger than standard drink size. The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) recommends no more than two standard drinks per day for women and men "to reduce the risk of health consequences of drinking".

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) recommends no more than two standard drinks per day for women and men "to reduce the risk of health consequences of drinking". NHMRC recommends no more than four standard drinks for both women and men in any single drinking occasion, to reduce the risk of injury related to that drinking event.

NHMRC recommends no more than four standard drinks for both women and men in any single drinking occasion, to reduce the risk of injury related to that drinking event. If a man and woman drink the same amount, the woman's blood alcohol level will almost always be higher.

Alcohol messaging that cuts through

In contrast to smoking, health risks linked to consuming alcohol aren't widely understood, the UK researchers found.

Aussies are confused about safe levels of drinking, too. Almost 70 per cent of those who drink 11 or more standard drinks on a typical occasion believe they are responsible drinkers.

Nick Sheron, a professor of population hepatology at the University of Southampton, says the aim of their research was to create a "mental image that people would remember".

The health messaging around cigarettes is much stronger and more effective because it's less "entrenched" in history, according to Professor Emmanuel Kuntsche.

"Alcohol has been around for the longest time — Stone Age people had alcohol," he says.

"It has a very long history and is really embedded in human culture.

"In contrast, cigarettes have a relatively short history, becoming popular at the beginning of the 20th century."

We are also told from as young as three years of age that alcohol is "ordinary and something to celebrate", he adds.

Throw in the flooding of booze marketing, especially that which taps into the idea of alcohol being a reward, and tackling the risks is a big hill to climb.

"The alcohol industry has a lot of money," Professor Kuntsche says.

Every drink is causing harm

The bottom line is, when it comes to cancer, there aren't any safe levels of alcohol consumption, says Jane Martin, alcohol policy manager at Cancer Council Victoria and co-chair of the National Alliance for Action on Alcohol.

"Every drink is doing damage.

"It may be small, but I think for women who are concerned about their risk of breast cancer [for example], this is really important information."

Alcohol is also known to cause cancers of the mouth, throat, oesophagus, bowel in men and liver.

"There is also some evidence it causes cancer of the bowel and stomach for women," Ms Martin says.

Alcohol consumption is also linked to other health issues, including liver and cardiovascular disease, stroke and depression, says Professor Tanya Chikritzhs from National Drug Research Institute.

"There are more than 40 conditions that are listed as caused by alcohol to some extent," she says.

The foundation lists them, also including liver disease, poor memory and fertility issues.

"Then there are short-term ones that come from binge drinking, road crashes, fire injuries, or being a perpetrator or a victim of violence," Professor Chikritzhs says.

The wine o'clock culture

After a busy day with the kids and work, a knock-off wine feels deserved. ( Unsplash: Vincenzo Landino )

The perception of alcohol as a reward is an "insidious culture', says Ms Martin.

"It's associated with taking care of yourself and in a lot of ways being kind to yourself — that's quite concerning."

She says for women, this notion really takes hold when children come onto the scene.

"It's the way a woman can have 'me time' … it's a way of distracting yourself from the humdrum of everyday work and family and that mental load we take on."

Women in their 50s are the most likely to drink at risky levels, overtaking the previous leaders of 18 to 25-year-olds, she says.

"I'm a woman over 50 and it seems very much a part of the social fabric, like on Facebook … that alcohol is a reward."

Sandra Kuntsche from La Trobe's Centre for Alcohol Policy Research says that's because there was even less information around alcohol harms when middle-aged women were entering their drinking years.

"Just like men come home and have a beer after work, women use alcohol to make that transition from work to night time."

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So what is the answer?

Making alcohol less visible — including more information around its harms on labels and more prevention campaigns — would all help people reduce their alcohol intake, our experts say.

"We shouldn't take out of the joy of the consumption in one way, but [we should] make people aware even low levels come with a certain risk, so people can make an informed decision," Sandra Kuntsche says.

The more mindful we can be around our consumption, the better decisions we will make, Ms Martin says.

"We've done some research around what is helpful to people and what sort of behaviours can help manage alcohol consumption. And one of those is knowing what a standard drink is and counting your drinks," Ms Martin says.

"[Consume no more than] two standard drinks a day overall for your health — they are the guidelines. Stay within those."

And she says a little support for those trying to quit or reduce their intake goes a long way.

"If someone is not drinking in a social situation, we should be supportive of that decision, not question it."