The New York City Health Department has launched a new citywide education campaign to raise awareness of the link between alcohol use and cancer. The campaign, called Buzzkill, aims to inform New Yorkers that alcohol consumption is directly linked with an increased risk of at least seven types of cancer, including breast, colorectal, esophageal, liver, mouth, throat and voice box cancers.
Launched on May 4, the campaign will run throughout May across the city, including on subways and social media, in bars and public spaces, on the radio, and in community and ethnic publications. Its message is direct: there is no safe or recommended amount of alcohol consumption when it comes to cancer risk, but drinking less can lower that risk.
“New Yorkers deserve to know the truth about the risk of cancer when drinking alcohol,” said NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin. He said the campaign is intended to give people clear information so they can make informed choices, adding that the message will be shared widely across the city because “knowledge is power.”
According to the Health Department, alcohol use is a significant driver of illness, injury and premature death in New York City. A 2025 department report found that from 2017 to 2021, there were on average about 3,400 new colorectal cancer cases, 1,000 new liver cancer cases and more than 6,600 new female breast cancer cases each year in New York City. The department also notes that in the U.S., only about half of adults recognize that alcohol use increases cancer risk.
The campaign is part of broader efforts under HealthyNYC, the city’s initiative to increase life expectancy, which includes a goal to reduce deaths from screenable cancers by 20% by 2030. The ads also direct New Yorkers who are concerned about their drinking to support services, including NYC 988 and nyc.gov/alcohol, where they can find information about reducing or quitting alcohol use.
Find more from NYC Health (USA, May 2026)
Alcohol Awareness 
Really, a glass of wine is the ‘new smoking!?’ How dare you?! Go after shots of tequila, go after RTD’s and go after weed which is unregulated, understudied and literally floating on every streetcorner of NYC choking out schoolkids on the way to the classroom. I’m going to sip my wine with dinner, enjoying a special moment with my family about the vintage year while the city of NYC hands out bongs to it’s populous. Let’s check back in a few years and see how that is going for you.
LikeLike
The article is not saying that enjoying wine with dinner is the same as smoking, or that one glass means someone will get cancer. The point is narrower and evidence-based: alcohol, including wine, is linked to increased risk of several cancers, and people deserve to know that when making their own decisions.
Shots, RTDs and wine all contain alcohol, so cancer risk is not limited to one type of drink. Concerns about cannabis policy and youth exposure are also serious, but they do not change what we know about alcohol and cancer. Public health can, and should, address more than one risk at the same time.
LikeLike