Confusing correlation with causation is natural. We all tend to fall into the trap. The classic example is the correlation between high ice cream sales and drownings. Or the sale of sunglasses. But ice cream sales don’t cause either drownings or the sale of sunglasses. The cause of these things is clearly warm weather. It’s …
Scare Tactics The use of scare tactics has been traditional in alcohol education. However, the alcohol education scare approache isn’t very effective. Yet this fact has’t discouraged its use. But research beginning in the 1930s has found that scare tactics tend to be ineffective and can be counterproductive. In short, people tend to “tune them …
Iain Murray argues here that alcohol abuse “guesstimates” aren’t statistics. Therefore, we shouldn’t treat such guestimates as if they were. If every night is party night on college campuses, a new study warns of serious problems for students. Researchers at Boston University charge that their alcohol use kills over 1,400 students annually. Their report …
Is drinking in pregnancy beneficial to the children born? Could light drinking actually help children? If so, should pregnant women drink a little? The Research Researchers used a nationally representative sample of infants born in the UK. The infants were part of the U.K. Millennium Cohort Study. That project followed the health of children born …
Exactly what is alcoholism? Alcoholism isn’t a “thing” but a cluster of behaviors. It’s often called a disease. However, the overwhelming evidence suggests that it is not. Indeed, many doctors reject the theory that alcoholism is a disease. They do so for lack of evidence supporting it. Visit Is Alcoholism a Disease? to learn more about …
Parents giving alcoholic drinks to their adolescents? Is this a good idea? Research suggests it is. Some adolescents get their first drink from friends or others. Others get it from their parents. The latter group has fewer later alcohol-related problems. That includes heavy episodic drinking or “bingeing.” That shouldn’t be surprising. It’s the typical southern …
Both intoxication and distraction are dangerous for driving driving. Either can cause fatal traffic accidents. Combining the two additionally increases the risk of crashes, according to research. Study participants used a driving simulator. Their primary goal was to maintain a safe distance from the vehicle ahead of them. Their secondary goal was to keep a …
College men don’t find excessive drinking by women to be appealing. That’s contrary to what most college women falsely think. In short, intoxicated women aren’t attractive or appealing to college men. That’s the finding of research among 3,616 college students. Seven of ten women (71%) overestimated the amount of alcohol that the typical college man …
This alcohol self-help groups lists free or very inexpensive groups. All groups are non-12 step. It has links to more information along with other resources. I. HAMS alcohol harm reduction program The name HAMS stands for Harm reduction, Abstinence, and Moderation Support. HAMS harm reduction is effective in reducing alcohol and drug problems. This is …
The effects of bogus intoxication surprise people. Bogus or sham intoxication has real effects on people and their actions. Specifically, people who falsely believe that they have been consuming alcohol tend to act like people who have actually been drinking. Conversely, people who don’t realize that they have been consuming alcohol tend to act like …
