Alcohol harm paradox: lower socioeconomic people drink the same or less than others but have more alcohol-related problems. Some people think that more drinking in a population leads to more alcohol-related problems. But that’s very a simplistic belief. World-wide research shows that countries with higher drinking rates generally have fewer drinking problems. That’s in comparison …
The question of drinking alcohol and child development can raise strong emotion. Does drinking alcohol during pregnancy have any impact on child development? What about smoking during pregnancy? These are very important questions. I. The Study The study involved 1,006 children. It began during the prenatal period. That is, from between 22 and 25 weeks …
The subject of alcohol and cataracts is important. Most people drink alcohol, and as we age, our chances of having cataracts increase. I. Cataracts Cataracts are clouding of the eye lens. They may occur in one or both eyes. If untreated, they can lead to blindness. They are common with advancing age. For example, the …
The effectiveness of keg registration (or keg tagging) in reducing underage drinking problems is unclear. That’s because virtually no research on the subject is done. Even publications that suggest findings often don’t. An example is “Measuring public policy. The case of beer keg registration laws.”1 We need to know the specific effectiveness of keg registration laws. …
The dangers of drinking games are many. Here we explain their dangers and how to either prevent them or reduce them. I. Drinking Games Drinking games are social events designed to promote intoxication. They have rules based on doing some specific physical or mental task. The rules dictate when an individual (or group) must drink …
Alcohol and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an important concern. Most people drink alcohol. At the same time, many people have RA. I. Rheumatoid Arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic or long-lasting disease. It’s inflammatory in nature. (In fact, “arthritis” means joint inflammation.) The immune system attacks the body for reasons doctors don’t understand. In effect, the …
Chronic kidney disease and alcohol is an important matter. Millions of people regularly drink alcohol. And many people suffer chronic kidney disease (CKD). CKD afflicts large numbers of people. In fact, it affects about 10% of adults around the world. The percent is higher in the U.S., with 37,000,000 suffering CKD. In addition, doctors diagnose …
You really can control your alcohol drinking. A popular myth is that if you have a drinking problem, you have to abstain from alcohol. But that simply isn’t true Most people who have a drinking problem are not alcoholic. But even many alcoholics can learn to drink in moderation. For example, federal government did nation-wide …
A person with a drinking problem usually has a direct negative impact on 4-6 others. Most people don’t know how to help a problem drinker. In fact, most feel helpless. There are also two common myths. The first is that anyone with a drinking problem is alcoholic. The second is that those who are alcoholic …
Almost everyone has heard that alcoholism and denial are related. And probably everyone has heard the old “Have you stopped beating your wife” trick question. Answering either yes or no damns the respondent. Similarly, the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) 12-step program also supports a “heads I win, tails you lose” trick question. Question: “Are you alcoholic?” …
