We all know that having a drink and a smoke has long been a classic party combo.
But a new deep-dive into dozens of health studies is now warning: this duo could be far more dangerous than most people realize—especially for younger adults.
A major review out of Germany is drawing attention to the serious risks tied to alcohol and cigarette use, even in small doses, linking them to one of the fastest-growing cancers among people under 50—early-onset colorectal cancer.
Even a Few Drinks or Smokes Can Raise Cancer Risk
The researchers reviewed over two dozen studies comparing people who drink or smoke with those who don’t. The results were eye-opening.
Just 100 cigarettes in a lifetime—basically, one cigarette a week for two years—was enough to raise the risk of early-onset colon cancer by 59%.
And if you’re a daily drinker? That alone increased the risk by 39%—even if you only have a glass of wine or a single beer each day.
To make things more concerning, each extra drink per day (another glass of wine, a second beer, etc.) added another 2% increase in risk.
Why This Combo Is So Toxic to Your Body
Both alcohol and tobacco have long been known to damage cells in the body.
When you drink, your liver breaks down ethanol into acetaldehyde, a toxic chemical that inflames and damages your colon.
That kind of damage can cause your DNA to malfunction, opening the door for cancer to grow.
On top of that, alcohol can block your body from absorbing folate, a vitamin that plays a key role in repairing damaged DNA.
Without enough folate, your body becomes even more vulnerable to cancer.
As for smoking? Cigarettes pump your body full of thousands of carcinogens and free radicals that tear apart healthy cells and mutate DNA—basically setting the stage for tumors to develop.
Millennials and Gen Z May Dodge It—But Gen X, Watch Out
Interestingly, younger generations—particularly millennials and Gen Zers—aren’t smoking or drinking as much as older ones.
That means this data might be more relevant to the younger half of Gen X, who came of age when social smoking and casual drinking were still more common.
Still, cancer doesn’t discriminate by age. And the numbers are going up.
The American Cancer Society says about 154,000 Americans will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year—20,000 of them under 50.
Early-Onset Colon Cancer Is Quietly Rising Fast
You might not see it trending on social media, but early-onset colon cancer is rising at an alarming rate.
For people aged 20 to 34, cases are expected to spike 90% by 2030 compared to 2010.
Among teens, the increase is even more shocking: a 500% rise since the early 2000s.
What the Study Looked At
The new review, published in Clinical Colorectal Cancer, pulled together 12 studies on alcohol and 13 on smoking to get a clearer picture.
They found that people who drank moderate to high amounts of alcohol daily—defined as one drink per day for women and two for men, or four to five drinks daily for heavier drinkers—had a 30–34% increased risk of colon and rectal tumors.
One of the strongest links came from a 2022 Canadian study that showed people with a history of alcoholism were 90% more likely to develop colon cancer than those who never abused alcohol.
How Much Is Too Much?
Researchers dug deeper into how alcohol affects the body at the chemical level.
They found that for every 10 grams of ethanol (roughly one standard drink) consumed daily, the risk of colon cancer climbed 2.3%.
According to U.S. guidelines, one standard drink equals:
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12 oz beer (5% alcohol)
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5 oz wine (12% alcohol)
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1.5 oz shot of liquor (40% alcohol)
Even just one of these a day adds measurable risk.
Smoking’s Impact Is Just as Alarming
On the smoking side, the study found that people who smoked regularly had a 39% higher risk of developing colorectal cancer compared to non-smokers.
Those who had smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime were at a 59% higher risk, while current smokers had a 14% higher risk than ex-smokers.
When broken down by tumor location, current smokers were 43% more likely to develop rectal tumors and 26% more likely to have colon tumors than non-smokers.
Not All Smokers Are Equal—Former Smokers See Lower Risk
Interestingly, former smokers weren’t shown to have a significantly higher risk in this study, suggesting the body may recover some DNA stability after quitting.
That being said, prevention is still the most powerful tool.
Once cancer starts to grow, reversing it becomes a lot harder than avoiding it altogether.
A Few Caveats—But a Strong Warning Overall
Like all studies, this one had some limitations.
The researchers admitted that relying on self-reported data from study participants about their drinking and smoking habits opens the door to bias.
Plus, the number of high-quality studies on this topic is still relatively small.
Still, the message is clear: even small amounts of daily drinking or light smoking could increase your risk of a very serious, fast-rising cancer.
If you’re in your 30s or 40s—and especially if you’ve been casually smoking or drinking for years—it might be time to think twice.