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
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.
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.
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 ...
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.
Genes that drive you to drink (but don't make you an alcoholic)
Oct 26, 2009 |
3.5 / 5 (2) |
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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 ...
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 ...
Teetotallers more likely to be depressed
Aug 28, 2009 |
4 / 5 (4) |
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Abstaining from alcohol consumption is associated with an increased risk of depression according to a new study published in Addiction journal.
Toyota developing anti-drunk driving gadget
Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets
Aug 31, 2009 |
1 / 5 (1) |
6
Toyota Motor said Monday it was developing anti-drunk driving equipment that would lock the ignition of a vehicle if high levels of alcohol are detected in the driver.
Half a glass of wine a day may boost life expectancy by five years
Apr 30, 2009 |
5 / 5 (5) |
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Drinking up to half a glass of wine a day may boost life expectancy by five years—at least in men—suggests research published ahead of print in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
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.
How alcohol blunts the ability of hamsters to 'rise and shine'
Sep 01, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
7
Chronic alcohol consumption blunts the biological clock's ability to synchronize daily activities to light, disrupts natural activity patterns and continues to affect the body's clock (circadian rhythm), even days after the ...
Million women study shows even moderate alcohol consumption associated with increased cancer risk
Feb 24, 2009 |
3.5 / 5 (4) |
3
Low to moderate alcohol consumption among women is associated with a statistically significant increase in cancer risk and may account for nearly 13 percent of the cancers of the breast, liver, rectum, and upper aero-digestive ...
Drinking 22 or more units of alcohol a week increases rates of hospital admission
Jul 01, 2009 |
3 / 5 (2) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Men who drink 22 or more units of alcohol a week have a 20% higher rate of admissions into acute care hospitals than non-drinkers, researchers from the University of Glasgow have found.
Frogs reveal clues about the effects of alcohol during development
Apr 06, 2009 |
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Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) cause malformations in babies, including facial defects, short stature, and mental and behavioral abnormalities. The African frog, Xenopus, is a valuable ...
