Heavy drinkers cost the U.S. economy about $746 per person for a total of $223.5 billion in 2006, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That cost includes healthcare bills, loss of productivity at work, property damage and court fees. The CDC study calls alcohol’s economic toll “substantial” and “striking,” but also “largely …
It was 81 minutes past noon when University of Iowa police say student Samantha Lynn Goudie blew a blood-alcohol level of .341. The season-opener between the Hawkeyes and Northern Illinois was more than an hour from kick-off when news stories say she tried to jump onto the field and officers reported arresting her for public intoxication.
Blood-alcohol content, or blood-alcohol concentration (BAC), is a way of measuring a person’s level of alcohol intoxication. The measure refers to the percentage of alcohol in a person’s blood compared to the total volume of blood. For example, a BAC of 0.08 (which is the legal driving limit for most states in the U.S.) means …
Are You Legally Drunk? What You Need to Know About Blood-Alcohol Content Read More »
Joaquín Alcaraz Gracia had just won the annual drinking contest in the Spanish region of Murcia. He triumphantly raised the trophy—but then started to vomit. Well, drinking six liters (1.58 gallons) of beer in 20 minutes will do that to you. Sadly, it can also do a lot more to you, and Gracia learned this …
‘Winner’ of Beer Contest Dies After Guzzling 13 Pints Read More »
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has labeled underage drinking a major health concern. There are nearly 5,000 kids aged 12 to 20 who die every year from alcohol poisoning. The year 2010 saw 189,060 emergency room visits tied to underage drinking, with almost 77,000 of those kids being 12 to 17 years old. …
If you are a heavy social drinker on the weekends, and maybe some weeknights, you are probably accustomed to waking to the feelings of a hangover – the dry mouth, the aching head, the spinning room. Does this mean that you have a problem? How do you know if you have crossed the line from …
Are You a Harmless Binger or a Functional Alcoholic? Read More »
Teenagers often cite peer pressure for their decision to start drinking alcohol or for choosing to binge drink in a social situation. In prevention and education programs, young people are taught strategies for resisting peer pressure and often take part in role play to get more comfortable with saying no to that pressure.
If it seems like teenagers today are being bombarded with advertising and subliminal messages that encourage drinking, it isn’t a figment of your imagination. Messages promoting the social benefits of alcohol consumption seem to be everywhere.
In a study to determine why adolescents choose to drink and drive, researchers found out whom the most likely people were to engage in the dangerous act. A study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health reported that young white males were more likely to get a DUI than women or men of other racial …
As the baby boomer generation approaches old age, the percentage of seniors with drinking problems is likely to increase.