Tequila may not be that good friend you think it is …

Though it's been known for quite some time and researched en masse to the point that conclusive evidence suggests it's still true … drum roll please … alcohol causes cancer. 

We can't hide from science. There goes the weekend. 

In an opinion piece for the New Zealand based journal Addiction, Dr. Jennie Connor, a preventive-medicine doctor at the University of Otago (and author of the article), restudied the body of evidence surrounding claims that even moderate drinking — and especially heavy drinking — is tied to cancer in seven areas of a person's body: "Oropharynx, larynx, oesophagus, liver, colon, rectum and female breast."

She did so because she was worried too much misinformation was being spread about the benefits of alcohol, as opposed to the dangers of it — largely done by massive booze companies. Surprise, surprise. 

"There is strong evidence that alcohol causes cancer at seven sites in the body and probably others," she writes. "Current estimates suggest that alcohol-attributable cancers at these sites make up 5.8% of all cancer deaths world-wide."

The American Cancer Society predicts there will be 595,690 deaths resulting from cancer in the US this year alone. If Connor's suggestion is any indication of where those cases come from, it's safe to say around 34,500 people will die of alcohol-related cancers this year — almost 3 times as many compared to gun deaths related to homicide, unintentional shooting, or murder/suicides in 2015.

But Connor doesn't go so far as to suggest that complete abstinence from alcohol is necessary, like with cigarettes. She claims that notion is "widely unacceptable" — because she's down and knows the limits of possibilities. 

Moderation, young grasshopper. 

"People need to be reminded when they reach for a drink that limiting their consumption is still important," Susan Gapstur, MPH, PhD and vice president of epidemiology for the American Cancer Society, tells Mother Nature Network. 

But just how much? It's Gapstur and the ACS suggest that women stick with one drink per day, and men two — further proving that even cancer is an oppressive force against women. 

So no need to completely ruin any plans for the weekend yet, just keep in mind when you're reaching for that umpteenth tequila shooter, it might not be that good friend you think it is.

Maybe this'll cheer you up …