Dave,

Alcohol is a cause of oral cancer. It drys out the mucosa (sp) and will also cause damage on a cellular level that can lead to cancer. Exactly how much alcohol will lead to this, well that I don't think anyone can answer as it will be different for everyone.

You have had radiation to the head/neck so I'm going to assume that you already suffer from xerostomia (dry mouth) and adding to that with alcohol I would think would accelerate cellular damage...but I'm not a Dr. I've been told that an "occasional" drink is ok, but regular drinking would up my chances of a recurrence.

So myself, I let "occasional" mean on specific occasions not a regular weekly or daily thing. Like you I struggle with it because I do like good beer and good whiskey but my health and family mean more to me then the drinks do. I don't believe that a night out a month or a few drinks occasionally would hurt..but then again I'm not an expert.

Good luck, I feel your pain

Eric