How Drinking Leads to Longer Lives

Plus a few truths...

(NEWSER) - You probably memorized many of these drinking tips before you could legally drink. Thing is, a number of them are false. In an article excerpted from New Scientist, the Washington Post busts a few myths ... and confirms a few others. Things that just aren't true:

• Coffee sobers you up: Caffeine can make you more alert, but it has no effect on your blood alcohol level. Worse, it could fool you into thinking you're more sober than you are.
• Liquor before beer, you're in the clear: There's no magical chemical interaction that makes hangovers better or worse. It just comes down to how much you drink.

Here's a hint: They hang out near the White House

(NEWSER) - Instead of the Beltway, we should call it the Booze Belt. That's because DC singles are the heaviest drinkers in America, according to a new survey. A hefty 34% of Washington singles surveyed classify themselves as frequent or very frequent drinkers—the highest percentage in the nation. Nipping at their stumbling heels are singles in New York and Chicago, tied at 33%, notes the Washington Post . Topping the list of the lightest drinkers? Surprisingly, Las Vegas, followed by Tampa, Phoenix and Detroit. The survey in HowAboutWe.com isn't a scientific study, and results weren't based on number of drinks. A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control determined that Wisconsin has the highest percentage in the nation—25.6%—of binge drinkers, defined as five or more drinks in two hours for men. One in six of all Americans is a binge drinker, according to the CDC. More»

How hard has she been hitting the booze?

(NEWSER) - Let's hope Snooki sorta planned that baby she's reportedly carrying (stop giggling). Because if she didn't, that fetus has to be nearly swimming in booze by now. While Forbes is concerned about what's to become of the diminutive reality star's "brand," others are worried about the drinking habits of the pregnant 24-year-old, who seems to spend very few minutes sober on Jersey Shore. "Is there a test for fetal alcohol syndrome at three months in utero?" wonders crabbygolightly.com . More»

Nation's heaviest boozers are in Wisconsin, study finds

(NEWSER) - Federal health officials have released their most detailed study yet of America's binge drinkers—and if you're a college-educated, high-earning young white man from Wisconsin, you may already be drunk by the time you read this. Researchers found that 38 million Americans, roughly a sixth of the adult population, are binge drinkers who over-indulge an average of 4.4 times a month, Bloomberg reports. A binge was defined as five or more drinks in the space of two hours for men, and four or more drinks for women. More»

Police release video of woman's close call

(NEWSER) - British police have a new public service announcement out asking people to take it easy on the booze over the holidays, and it's illustrated by a drunken woman falling under a subway train. Luckily, said train was stopped at the time, and the woman got pulled to safety with only minor injuries, reports the Guardian . Mercifully, she is unidentified. More»