Related topics: cancer , women , alcohol
Alcoholic beverage
hideAn alcoholic beverage is a drink that contains ethanol (commonly called alcohol). Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits.
Alcoholic beverages are consumed in almost every nation, and most nations have laws that regulate their production, sale, and consumption.
In particular, such laws specify the minimum age at which a person may legally buy or drink alcoholic beverages. This minimum age can be as low as 16 years, as in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. Most nations, however, set the minimum age at 18 years.
In the United States, the minimum age is 21 years.
Alcoholic beverages are a part of most European cultures, and children in these cultures may occasionally drink alcohol during meals with their family. In Germany, 14-year-old persons may drink low-alcohol beverages if their parents are present.
The production and consumption of alcohol occurs in most cultures of the world, from hunter-gatherer peoples to nation-states. Alcoholic beverages are often an important part of social events in these cultures. In many cultures, drinking plays a significant role in social interaction — mainly because of alcohol’s neurological effects.
Alcohol is a psychoactive drug that has a depressant effect. A high blood alcohol content is usually considered to be legal drunkenness because it reduces attention and slows reaction speed. Alcoholic beverages can be addictive, and the state of addiction to alcohol is known as alcoholism.
For more information about Alcoholic beverage, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with alcohol consumption
The drink and violence ?gender gap?
Dec 16, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Women and men are at the same risk of violence - until they start drinking, new research from Cardiff University has shown.
Marriage is good for the health: global study
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Dec 15, 2009 |
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Despite the barbs of comedians and the spectacular bust-ups documented in the gossip magazines, marriage really is good for you, international research has found.
What's the best hangover cure? Truth be told, there isn't one
Dec 09, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- With the holiday party season at hand, UNC's Dr. James C. Garbutt offers these tips about how to enjoy a few drinks responsibly -- while sparing yourself and those around you from the potentially ...
Head and neck cancer survivors who use alcohol and cigarettes have increased death risk
Dec 03, 2009 |
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Cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption before head and neck cancer diagnosis strongly predicts the patient's future risk of death, according to published studies. Now, results of a new study show a similar effect among ...
Binge drinking youths find getting old a drag
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Dec 01, 2009 |
3 / 5 (1) |
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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' ...
Heavy drinkers exercise to burn off alcohol: British study
Nov 26, 2009 |
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More than a quarter of drinkers in England who exercise regularly do so in an attempt to make up for bingeing on alcohol, according to a survey published Thursday.
Metobolomics uncovers key indicators of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Nov 24, 2009 |
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A recent metobolomics study by researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond found that impaired peroxisomal oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) is associated with the progression ...
Genes that drive you to drink (but don't make you an alcoholic)
Oct 26, 2009 |
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Your genetic make up may predispose you to drink more but may not increase your genetic risk for alcoholism (alcohol dependence). Research published in the open access journal, BMC Biology, pinpoints genetic pathways and ge ...
Scientists identify a cellular pathway by which alcohol may promote cancer progression
Oct 26, 2009 |
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Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is essential for numerous developmental processes involving biological cells. New findings indicate that alcohol may promote cancer progression by stimulating EMT.This has implications ...
Even low alcohol consumption has a negative impact on overall health
Oct 23, 2009 |
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Low alcohol consumption is bad for your health in general. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation studied the relationship between alcohol consumption and he ...
Alcohol tolerance 'switch' found
Oct 21, 2009 |
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Researchers at North Carolina State University have found a genetic "switch" in fruit flies that plays an important role in making flies more tolerant to alcohol.
Studies improve knowledge of underlying brain changes caused by addiction
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Oct 21, 2009 |
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New research using animal models is enabling a deeper understanding of the neurobiology of compulsive drug addiction in humans — knowledge that may lead to more effective treatment options to weaken the powerful cravings ...
Concern over alcohol use among UK South Asians
Oct 21, 2009 |
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Alcohol use in South Asians in the UK is under-recognised, and alcohol related harm is disproportionately high, warn researchers in an editorial published on BMJ.com today.
Study finds higher survival rate among intoxicated trauma patients
Oct 01, 2009 |
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Trauma patients who were intoxicated before their injuries were more likely to survive than trauma patients who suffered similar injuries but were sober at the time, according to a study published in the October edition of ...
Alcoholism's effect on sleep persists during long periods of sobriety
Oct 01, 2009 |
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A study in the Oct.1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that long-term alcoholism affects sleep even after long periods of abstinence, and the pattern of this effect is similar in both men and women.
