Binge drinking

While research has linked moderate drinking to better heart health, a new study suggests that those benefits disappear when drinkers add the occasional binge to the mix. Researchers found that those who drank heavily every so often were 45 percent more likely to develop coronary heart disease -- where plaque buildup in the heart arteries impedes the flow of blood and oxygen. For comparison, overall, about 8 percent - or about one in 12 -- Americans has heart disease, according to the American Heart Association.

For certain events, society provides encouragement for alcohol abuse. And New Year's Eve ranks at the top, says Bob Forrest, chemical dependency program director at Las Encinas Hospital in Pasadena. A vocalist for Los Angeles bands Thelonious Monster and The Bicycle Thief, Forrest has been a member of the treatment team on VH1's "Celebrity Rehab" and its spinoff, "Sober House." An obsession to turn every day into New Year's Eve is the dividing line between an alcoholic and a non-alcoholic, he said.

Universities and colleges are "missing the mark" in their fight against binge drinking on campus, which a new study says leads to 500,000 injuries in one year in the U.S. alone. The research suggests that blanket efforts, such as cutting down on drink specials at campus pubs, may not be enough to curb consumption or prevent alcohol-related injuries. Universities have to pinpoint the students who are most at risk and perform some basic interventions with them, said one of the study's authors.

Many binge drinkers turn to exercise to compensate for the physical toll of overconsumption, but experts warn that some alcohol-related damage can't be undone at the gym. AFP reported Nov. 27 that researchers in the U.K. found that 28 percent of binge drinkers reported that they used exercise to try to shed alcohol-related pounds; many said guilt over a night of partying led them to the gym or pool the next day.

Young men who believe that happiness declines with age are more likely to engage in risky health behaviors such as binge drinking. Their misguided negative view of the aging process may act as a disincentive to behave 'sensibly' and encourage them to make the most of the present in anticipation of 'miserable' old age. These findings by Dr. John Garry and Dr. Maria Lohan from Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland, are published online in Springer's Journal of Happiness Studies.

Binge drinking negatively affects college students’ academic performance, social relationships and health. Frequent binge drinkers are 21 times more likely than non-binge drinkers to miss classes, fall behind in schoolwork, engage in vandalism, be injured or hurt, engage in unplanned sexual activity, not use protection when having sex, get in trouble with campus police, or drive a car after drinking.

Nearly half of students at four-year colleges do it regularly (and, it's not sex). Rather, it's binge drinking -- downing five or more alcoholic drinks at a sitting. "People have a hard time identifying alcohol as a drug," said Jenny Hwang, associate dean of students and director of the counseling center at Stony Brook University on Long Island, N.Y. In fact, she said, heavy drinking is glamorized as a rite of passage in college years.

Young smokers suffer reduced cardiovascular function even if they smoke only a few cigarettes per day, according to research from Stella Daskalopoulou at the McGill University Health Center.

It's no secret that binge drinking and faulty decision-making go hand in hand, but what if poor judgment lingered long after putting the bottle down and sobering up? A new study with rats suggests that heavy alcohol consumption in adolescence could put people on the road to risky behavior.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is asking students to curb the sharing of cups after a group of students contracted the swine flu during a weekend of drinking games, according to Dr. Leslie Lawrence, medical director of the school's health center.