BBC Health

Festive drinkers will be able to keep track of their alcohol habits through an interactive mobile phone application. The Department of Health's downloadable tracker allows drinkers to get a personalised chart of their consumption to see if they are drinking too much. The alcohol tracker will be available free across the UK, although users will need internet access on their phones.

A quarter of all rapes in Hampshire (UK) in 2009 have been drink-related. And one in five of all serious sex offences between July and September 2009 were influenced by drink and drugs (Source: Hampshire Constabulary). To try and reduce these figures, Hampshire Constabulary are targeting men and women with a new campaign.

The number of young people seeking treatment for heroin and crack cocaine addiction in England has fallen dramatically, annual figures suggest. But there has been a "concerning" rise in young adults seeking treatment for cocaine addiction.

Officials in Serbia are investigating a rehabilitation centre affiliated to the Orthodox Church where drug addicts have allegedly been filmed being beaten. A video of one assault, published by Vreme magazine, shows a man appearing to assault a patient by hitting him with a shovel and punching his face. One former resident said staff had offered to cure his addiction with "pleasant conversation" and beatings.

Children whose fathers have mental health disorders are likely to have psychiatric or behavioural disorders themselves, researchers warn. They said boys in particular could be affected if their father had depression or was an alcoholic.

Women are dying from the effects of drink. Binge drinking among women is becoming a serious problem in the North East [of England]. They are causing irreversible damage to their bodies and are unaware of the dangers of alcohol.

An eminent French cardiologist has triggered an impassioned debate in the medical world over his claim to have discovered a cure for alcoholism. Dr Olivier Ameisen, 55, one of France's top heart specialists, says he overcame his own addiction to alcohol by self-administering doses of a muscle-relaxant called baclofen.

Ninety per cent of the young people who seek treatment for compulsive computer gaming are not addicted. So says Keith Bakker the founder and head of Europe's first and only clinic to treat gaming addicts. The clinic is changing its treatment as it realises that compulsive gaming is a social rather than a psychological problem.

When pop singer turned reality TV stalwart Kerry Katona went public with her alcoholism at the weekend, she made a rather surprising admission. "Yes, I still have a drink when I want to, like any other 28-year-old woman." Yet the popular image of someone who says "I am an alcoholic" is that they will also have sworn off booze. For those with severe dependence, abstinence is only option. Others can change their drinking habits - but this isn't easy, and they may opt for abstinence.

Research by the Department of Health in England with focus groups found heavy drinkers often fell into one of a number of categories. These ranged from de-stress and depressed drinkers to people who boozed because of boredom or to bond. Experts said helping people to understand the reasons for their drinking habits was "very useful".