"alcoholism" news and stories

A lot of people enjoy an adult beverage now and then (some of them more than others). Did you ever wonder, though, if one was worse for you? I know that thought never has crossed my mind, but apparently it occurred to some researchers and so they set about to look into it.

In a new study published in the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism, scientists scanned the brains of people diagnosed with alcoholism and found differences in the size of the hippocampus. That's the area of the brain responsible for spatial tasks and memory. Beer drinkers came out with the least damage, followed by those who preferred spirits and wine, respectively.

"The size of the hippocampus was largest in the healthy group – 3.85ml. In beer drinkers it was 3.4ml, while the average for spirit drinkers was 2.9ml, and for wine drinkers, 2.8ml."

Of course there are a lot of other factors that could have played a part here, and this is only very early research. The study does suggest that beer is either less bad for your brain or that it protects your brain a little more than the other beverages. What do you think? Is this all hogwash, or is beer better?

[Via Real Beer]

Alcohol - we all know that certain people are more susceptible to suffering addiction than others. This story in the Independent says that 5 or 10 years ago, the average age patients with an alcohol problem was about 45; now it is about 35 and we are seeing people as young as 18 who are alcoholics.

And the reason they site for this worrying problem? Over-sized wine glasses. There is a trend for serving wine in ever larger glasses. I am not sure why. Perhaps it lends a sense of generosity, of extravagance or a sign of decadence that our prosperous society is reveling in at the moment.

"People have become used to these outsized glasses. They fill them up and believe it's OK because they are only having one glass, but that can now amount to a third of a bottle. If they have a small glass, they feel cheated."

In the UK the old 'standard' serving of wine was in a 125ml glass which contains one unit of alcohol, but a standard pub measure was increased to 175ml last year and larger glasses may contain as much as 250ml.

 

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Figures published last week reveal that in the last twenty years cirrhosis death rates for men in England and Wales have risen by over 60% and the rates for women have increased by nearly 50%. While Austria still has the highest cirrhosis death rates in Europe, followed in an ever-narrowing margin by Scotland, where cirrhosis deaths have doubled in the past two decades, many other countries have seen a 20-30% decline since the 1970s. Excessive and binge drinking - which results in some 22,000 British deaths each year - rates have risen among young men and women, and doctors report treating cirrhosis patients in their twenties, while only two decades ago nearly every patient with the disease was in late middle age.

England switched to 24 hour licensing at the end of last year, which permits clubs and pubs to serve alcohol around the clock. The medical profession is worried that this change will lead to an increase in alcoholism and alcohol and cirrhosis related deaths. They are encouraging the government to put more money into alcohol-treatment programs and to consider putting more restrictions on liquor licensing.

Slashfoodies love their cocktails. Particularly on festive occasions, football games and New Year's Eve, or when we decide to get spirited with our cooking. But we know when to stop and would like to take this opportunity to remind our friends and readers to do the same. Please drink safely, responsibly and in moderation.

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