Secondhand drinking was the topic of my November 29 lecture with Stanford Medical students. During discussion, one student questioned using the term Secondhand Drinking – a term meant to invoke thoughts similar to those we have when we hear the term, Secondhand Smoke. In the case of secondhand smoke, the effort was to stop smoking… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: binge drinking
How Much Alcohol is in Your Favorite Drink? Standard Drinks Explained
Standard drinks – alcohol by volume. What do these terms mean and why do they matter? “I only had a couple of drinks,” or “We each had a drink and then split a bottle of wine.” These kinds of statements are common when someone gets into trouble as a result of how much they’ve had to… Continue Reading
Alcohol-Induced Memory Blackouts Explained
Blackouts. Alcohol-induced memory blackouts. You may have heard one or both terms, but what do they mean? As an example, if you’ve ever found yourself in a bizarre argument with something who’s been drinking heavily or been on the receiving end of their behaviors too hurtful to rationalize and then felt even more betrayed the… Continue Reading
Drinking – How Much is Too Much?
Drinking alcohol – how much is too much and how do you really know? Do you wonder why eating a big meal doesn’t keep you from getting drunk? Do you believe coffee will sober a friend up? Do you wonder why some can drink far more than others and still not seem drunk? Do you… Continue Reading
Binge Drinking? Heavy Social Drinking? Alcohol Abuse is NOT Alcoholism
When a person drinks, the alcohol bypasses the normal digestive process and enters the bloodstream through the walls of the small intestine, where it dissolves in water and travels through the bloodstream to areas of the body high water concentration and /or having lots of blood vessels – like the brain. Alcohol leaves the body… Continue Reading
Where’s the Line Between Moderate and Problem Drinking
Where’s the Line Between Moderate and Problem Drinking – is there such a line? NPR ran an interesting story this morning, “When Does Moderate Drinking Become a Problem?,” by Patti Neighmond. I added the following comment to the discussion: To the discussion of the gray zone — who is at risk and who is not… Continue Reading
How Long Does Alcohol Stay in the System?
How Long Does Alcohol Stay in the System? Understanding the answer is critical to staying in control of one’s drinking and therefore one’s drinking behaviors. Alcohol is not processed like other foods and liquids, which are proceeded (metabolized) by the digestive system. Instead, alcohol is metabolized by the liver. As a very general rule of… Continue Reading
Myth: The best thing for a drunk friend is to let them sleep it off.
by Lisa Frederiksen REALTY: Alcohol is a depressant that works on the central nervous system. It slows down the heart rate, lowers the blood pressure and slows a person’s breathing rate. If a friend passes out, s/he has consumed an amount of alcohol that puts him/her dangerously close to the amount of alcohol that can… Continue Reading