Hi @FLClover, your story is much like mine. I raised my son on my own for 20yrs. I suffered prolonged long term stress all that time with intense work pressure, being a sole parent with an ex husband who contributed nothing but $21.67 per month, toxic family at times, deep trauma of the past with many health issues to deal with and on and on I could go. I was so burnt out. Burn out is also something recognised by the WHO. I did use alcohol sometimes to relax and socialise but most definitely my body had suffered much inflammation from all the stress. I had 3 melanoma too prior to bc and each time a melanoma was found i had been through an increased period of stress. I also noticed with both my melanoma diagnosis and bc that my vitamin D levels were very low. I do think drinking excessively increases the risk of all illnesses and certainly the WHO is probably right to advise people whst the recommended amounts are for both men and women but they seem to target women mostly with the messaging.
