drinking news stories on Newser

America's Biggest Boozers?

Mary Papenfuss — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:01:00 CDT

Instead of the Beltway, we should call it the Booze Belt. That's because DC singles are the heaviest drinkers in America, according to a new survey. A hefty 34% of Washington singles surveyed classify themselves as frequent or very frequent drinkers—the highest percentage in the nation. Nipping at their...

Snooki Baby: Can You Spell 'Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?'

Mary Papenfuss — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:02:00 CST

Let's hope Snooki sorta planned that baby she's reportedly carrying (stop giggling). Because if she didn't, that fetus has to be nearly swimming in booze by now. While Forbes is concerned about what's to become of the diminutive reality star's "brand," others are worried about the drinking habits of the...

1 in 6 Americans Is a Binge Drinker

Rob Quinn — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 06:40:00 CST

Federal health officials have released their most detailed study yet of America's binge drinkers—and if you're a college-educated, high-earning young white man from Wisconsin, you may already be drunk by the time you read this. Researchers found that 38 million Americans, roughly a sixth of the adult population, are...

British PSA: Don't Get Drunk, Fall Under Train

John Johnson — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 12:40:05 CST

British police have a new public service announcement out asking people to take it easy on the booze over the holidays, and it's illustrated by a drunken woman falling under a subway train. Luckily, said train was stopped at the time, and the woman got pulled to safety with only...

Booze and Writing: the Ideal Combo?

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 17:32:00 CST

Christopher Hitchens defended his prolific smoking and drinking habits even though they probably killed him. "Whatever enhances and prolongs and deepens and sometimes intensifies argument and conversation," he once wrote, "is worth it to me." But does boozing really aid the creative process? Slate takes a look, perusing anecdotal evidence...

Now Found in Some Australian Wines: Laxative Agent

Kate Schwartz — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:43:05 CST

Those with delicate bowels may want to steer clear of wine from the Land Down Under. Winemakers there are now allowed to add sodium carboxymethyl cellulose to wine—a chemical lauded for its laxative powers. But in small quantities it can thicken liquids, and when it comes to wine, adding...

DWI Among Women Jumps 29%

Polly Davis Doig — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 08:36:12 CST

The career of ex-FAA chief Randy Babbitt might be the latest casualty of a drunken-driving arrest, but a new report shows that DWI has an increasingly female face . The number of women arrested on suspicion of DWI shot up 29% between 1998 and 2007—up from making up only 9%...

Drink Up! FDA OKs Hangover Pill

Kate Schwartz — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 08:15:17 CST

Who needs Santa when you have the FDA? The government agency handed boozy partygoers everywhere a big holiday gift: It recently OK'd a hangover pill called Blowfish. The over-the-counter tablets, designed to be taken upon waking, Alka Seltzer-style, contain some not-too-foreign ingredients: 1,000 milligrams of aspirin, 120 milligrams of...

Do Your Brain a Favor: Meditate

Matt Cantor — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 14:24:05 CDT

Humankind has developed plenty of coping mechanisms over the centuries, from long walks to hard drugs. While many of these methods have endured, not all of them are in our brains’ best interests, writes Alice Walton at Forbes . Smoking and drinking, for example, can lead to a vicious cycle of...