The European Union has the highest level of alcohol consumption in the world.
Eight of the ten countries with the highest alcohol consumption are in Europe, including Iceland, Norway and the Ukraine.
And alcohol abuse not only causes economic damage and puts pressure on social and health systems, it causes cancer.
Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that cancer is one of the leading causes of alcohol-related death in Europe.
Experts point out that around half of alcohol-related breast cancer cases in the EU are due to light or moderate drinking.
"Alcohol is a Group 1 carcinogen, in the same category as arsenic, asbestos and tobacco. Yet most people are unaware of the many risks alcohol poses to their health," said Hans Henri P.Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe.
Cancer is the leading cause of alcohol-related death in the EU and in 2016 almost 80,000 people died from alcohol-related cancers while around 1.9 million years of life were lost due to premature mortality or disability.
So the WHO has launched a campaign, financed with 10 million euros, to raise public awareness and policy makers on the links between alcohol consumption and cancer risk.