Amy Robach Explains Why She Drinks Despite Risk of Breast Cancer Recurrence: ‘I Always Drink to Enhance Joy’

"I love that little extra kick. I like to laugh. It's probably my favorite thing to do in life," Robach said on a recent episode of her iHeartRadio podcast

Amy Robach is shedding light on why she still drinks alcohol despite the risk of breast cancer recurrence.

Robach was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer after undergoing an on-air mammogram in October 2013 on Good Morning America. She had a double mastectomy and went through eight rounds of chemotherapy. Her final round of treatment was completed in April 2014.

During the latest episode of her iHeartRadio podcast, Amy and T.J., she reflected on her relationship with alcohol last year while discussing starting dry January with her boyfriend and cohost T.J. Holmes.

Related: T.J. Holmes Says He Could 'Easily Go Through 18 Drinks a Day' Before Dry January

"I knew this past year was an anomaly. It was not a year that hopefully will ever be repeated, but it's been weighing heavily on me," she said. "Not just about the amount of alcohol that I consumed but also what I know about alcohol and cancer - and specifically breast cancer."

The former television personality recalled how one of the first things her doctors told her when being diagnosed with breast cancer was to reduce her alcohol intake.

"I will say this because I'm someone who lives with recurrences. All breast cancer survivors do. There's no scientific proof as of yet, but most doctors believe because it raises your estrogen levels, especially if you have a hormone-positive cancer like I did, it would make sense that it would raise your chance for reassurance," she said.

Expressing that there is "no strong evidence to support or refute it," she encouraged her fans to "err on the side of caution" and explained how she's changed many parts of her life because of that.

Related: Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes' Relationship Timeline

"I know that that's such an important part of my life. I have changed my diet. I have changed my exercise. I have focused on sleep," said Robach. "But alcohol has been something that I haven't fully committed to reducing — and in fact, as I pointed out last year, I increased."

When Holmes asked why she had not worked on adjusting her alcohol intake before January, she said that she's "never been one to drink to mask pain."

"I always drink to enhance joy," she explained. "I love that little extra kick. I like to laugh. It's probably my favorite thing to do in life. And so if you have that drink in hand, you laugh a little more. You dance a little more. Life just gets a little more fun as long as you know not to drink too much. That has always been a part of what I love about the experience of drinking. It's just getting that little extra boost, I guess, is the way I would put it."

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After Robach said that she does not experience many hangovers, Holmes added, "You say 'I rationalize' almost as if you acknowledge it is irrational," to which Robach said, "Oh, I'm acknowledging fully - fully."

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