drinking

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EU's Top Diplomat: The World Sucks, Start Drinking

Kaja Kallas' joke about throwing one back comes amid wars, protests, Iran sanctions push

(Newser) - Europe's top diplomat appears to be feeling the strain of global crises—enough to joke that now might be the moment to take up drinking. Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign policy chief and former Estonian prime minister, reportedly told senior members of the European Parliament in a closed-door...

A Long-Used Drug Is Helping People Cut Back on Alcohol

Medication naltrexone interacts with opioid receptors to cut cravings

(Newser) - If you'd like to limit alcohol consumption in line with new dietary guidelines , a 40-year-old pill is suddenly getting a fresh look. Naltrexone, long prescribed for alcohol use disorder and opioid dependence, is being embraced by people who wouldn't call themselves alcoholics but regularly exceed health guidelines. Instead...

Weed May Help Drinkers Cut Back on Booze
Weed May Help Drinkers
Cut Back on Booze
new study
Nov 23, 2025 3:00 PM CST

Weed May Help Drinkers Cut Back on Booze

Study finds that drinkers consume less alcohol after smoking marijuana

(Newser) - A new study out of Brown University suggests that smoking marijuana curbs the immediate desire to drink alcohol. As the New York Times reports, the results of the unique study were striking: strong weed resulted in 30% less booze being consumed among study participants. The experiment essentially tested the premise...

Diddy Vowed to Stay Sober. About That....

Officials: Homemade booze Sean Combs allegedly had in prison was made from soda, sugar, apples

(Newser) - Sean "Diddy" Combs was reportedly caught with homemade booze at the low-security Federal Correctional Institution Fort Dix in New Jersey earlier this week. Sources tell TMZ the concoction—apparently made from Fanta, apples, and sugar—is a common prison brew that inmates allow to ferment for a couple of...

Even Light Drinking Boosts Dementia Risk
Even Light Drinking
Jacks Your Dementia Risk
NEW STUDY
Oct 16, 2025 7:51 AM CDT

Even Light Drinking Jacks Your Dementia Risk

Prior 'one drink a day' advice was based on skewed data, new research suggests

(Newser) - A decades-old belief that a daily drink might do the brain some good just took another hit. According to a new study in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine , light, regular alcohol consumption can raise the risk of developing dementia. Researchers tracked more than 550,000 people aged 56 to 72 and...

There's Been a Reversal of the Binge-Drinking Gender Gap

Young women are binge drinking more often than young men, but drinking is down overall

(Newser) - Young Americans aren't drinking as much alcohol as previous generations, says Dr. Bryant Shuey, a physician at the University of Pittsburgh, but he's noticed a concerning trend among those who do indulge. Shuey and other researchers say that in a reversal of past trends, women 18 to 25...

He Quit Drinking, Didn't Expect the Weird Looks
He Quit Drinking,
Didn't Expect
the Weird Looks
in case you missed it
Jan 12, 2025 3:15 PM CST

He Quit Drinking, Didn't Expect the Weird Looks

Charles Blow writes about trying to ease the 'killjoy stigma' of nondrinkers

(Newser) - Charles Blow decided to stop drinking four years ago, and the New York Times columnist writes that it was the best decision he's ever made. His latest column, though, deals with an unexpected aspect of that: "I always understood the moral judgments about overconsumption, but I hadn't...

People Are Bidding Adieu to 'Long Boozy Nights'
People Are Bidding Adieu
to 'Long Boozy Nights'
OPINION
Nov 30, 2024 8:00 AM CST

People Are Bidding Adieu to 'Long Boozy Nights'

Writing for WSJ , Katie Roiphe says this new 'sober-ish' lifestyle may not be such a bad thing

(Newser) - Say goodbye to those "long boozy nights" of yesteryear. That's according to Katie Roiphe, a college professor who observes for the Wall Street Journal that, as we head into the holiday season, she's noticed more "sober-ish" people around of late—meaning folks who haven't gone...

Reducing 20-Ounce Pint Would Have Great Health Impacts

Research shows people drink less overall, but no one is keen on the idea of changing the pint

(Newser) - The pint is embedded in British pub culture, standardized centuries ago as the 20-ounce imperial pint. Research from a new study suggests a shorter pour of beer could have great health impacts, but Rachel Dixon looks at one big problem, per the Guardian : Pretty much no one is in favor...

Ryanair Chief Is Not a Fan of Airport Drinking

Michael O'Leary pushes for 2-drink limit per person, saying it could minimize in-flight violence

(Newser) - Michael O'Leary doesn't want to be a (literal) buzzkill. But the Ryanair chief is now pushing for a two-drink max per boarding pass at airports, saying he thinks such a limit could help tamp down on the rise of inflight violence by inebriated fliers, reports the BBC . "...

Japan's Top Olympic Gymnast Ousted for Smoking

Women's team captain Shoko Miyata violated strict rules on drinking, too

(Newser) - With the Paris Olympics only a week away, Japan is suddenly without a team captain in women's artistic gymnastics. Shoko Miyata has been sent home from France by the Japan Gymnastics Association because—prepare to gasp—the 19-year-old admitting to smoking and drinking, reports the Japan Times . The offenses...

Local Bar Have Smaller Glasses? You'll Drink Less
Local Bar Have
Smaller Glasses?
You'll Drink Less
NEW STUDY
Feb 4, 2024 5:00 PM CST

Local Bar Have Smaller Glasses? You'll Drink Less

When larger cups are taken off the menu, people shift to smaller portions

(Newser) - Bars with large wine glasses may encourage more drinking, a new study found, but this doesn't necessarily bring in greater profits. In an effort to understand how portion size affects social drinking, a team from Cambridge University's Behavior and Health Research Unit created a trial with 21 pubs....

Heavy Drinkers Have Greater Tolerance, Right? Not So Much

Study suggests it's largely a myth

(Newser) - It's a common dramatic trope: Steely-eyed people squaring off in a boozy drinking duel, usually ending with someone passing out on the floor while their opponent seems relatively clear-eyed in victory. Research done by the University of Chicago found that the heavy drinker with high tolerance, however, is mostly...

Studies Touting Alcohol as Good for Health Were Flawed

Analysis finds no benefit to health, but an increased risk of death

(Newser) - The Canadian Center on Substance Use and Addiction was on to something when it claimed no amount of alcohol consumption is healthy, according to a new analysis of 107 studies of 4.8 million adults published between 1980 and 2021, which debunks the idea that moderate drinking provides benefits for...

Canada's New Booze Guidelines May Be 'a Bit Shocking'
Canada's New
Booze Guidelines
May Be 'a Bit
Shocking'
in case you missed it
Jan 22, 2023 3:25 PM CST

Canada's New Booze Guidelines May Be 'a Bit Shocking'

New recommendation for beer-swilling Canadians: no more than 2 drinks per week

(Newser) - In Canada, the legal drinking age is between 18 and 19, depending on location. But new guidelines from the nation's Canadian Center on Substance Use and Addiction not only discourage young people from throwing one too many back—the center is now warning everyone away from more than two...

Cycling Is Healthy. So Why the Deep Connection to Beer?
Bike Culture May Have
a Problem—Alcohol
longform
Jan 10, 2023 12:14 PM CST

Bike Culture May Have a Problem—Alcohol

In 'Bicycling,' Gloria Liu suggests the cycling world drinks too much

(Newser) - A few years ago, Gloria Liu wrote a story in Bicycling magazine about how great the "post-ride beer" is in the parking lot, especially with a group of riding friends. Now comes a story in the same magazine with a different bent and a headline asking, "Does Cycling...

She Was a Heavy Drinker Until She Got 2 Doses of Psilocybin
She Was a Heavy Drinker.
Then She Ingested Psilocybin
in case you missed it
Aug 28, 2022 1:05 PM CDT

She Was a Heavy Drinker. Then She Ingested Psilocybin

Small study suggests the 'magic mushrooms' psychedelic may help heavy drinkers quit

(Newser) - The compound in psychedelic mushrooms helped heavy drinkers cut back or quit entirely in the most rigorous test of psilocybin for alcoholism. More research is needed to see if the effect lasts and whether it works in a larger study. The AP notes many who took a dummy drug instead...

Japan Wants Young People to Drink More Booze

Tax agency is worried about falling revenue

(Newser) - Japan's national tax agency is trying to tackle a decline in revenue by persuading young people to change their sober ways. Younger people in Japan aren't drinking as much as previous generations did, and so the tax agency has launched a competition to find ways to boost alcohol...

Young People Who Drink Solo, Take Heed of This Study

Study finds young solitary drinkers at increased risk for alcoholism in mid-30s

(Newser) - The manner in which you drink alcohol as a young person might be more important than how much you drink in determining future alcoholism risk, according to new research that warns against drinking alone in early life, especially if you're a young female. Researchers analyzed data from 4,500...

It's Time Someone Said It: Hard Seltzer Just Isn't Good

Amanda Mull charts America's slowly waning obsession with the beverage

(Newser) - America fell in love with hard seltzer in the summer of 2019. It appears our feelings might have slightly cooled. In a piece for the Atlantic , Amanda Mull charts hard seltzer's heyday (more than 150 brands on the market by mid-2021!) and where sales are now (certainly not...

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