Articles Index

Teen's Death Exposes Binge Drinking Dangers
When the lifeless body of 16-year-old Julia Gonzalez was found by a passer-by in Pedretti Park in Turlock, California, her death was a mystery that captivated the public and the news media for more than three months.

Drinking Rates Remain Unchanged in the U.S.
The latest government statistics show a decrease in the use of illicit drugs over the past four years, but the number of people who consume alcohol remains essentially the same, with more than half of everyone over the age of 12 reported as drinkers.

Brief Interventions Effective for Some Drinking Problems
For people who do not have a serious drinking problem, but sometimes drink alcohol at dangerous or abusive levels, brief interventions can be an effective way to get them to moderate their alcohol consumption and eliminate harmful drinking patterns.

Binge Drinkers Have Highest Risk of Injury
It's not chronic heavy drinkers who have the highest risk of alcohol-related injuries, it is the moderate drinkers who sometimes drink heavily who are more like to suffer injuries, especially while they are drinking.

North Dakota Tops Binge Drinking Stats
Utah has the lowest rate of past month use of illicit drugs in the nation, as well as the lowest rate for binge drinking, while Alaska has the highest rate of illegal drug use and North Dakota has the highest rate of binge drinking.

Brief Counseling Can Reduce High-Risk Drinking
Physicians who spent only a few focused minutes counseling young patients about reducing their alcohol use successfully reduced high-risk drinking among those patients as well as the number of motor vehicle crashes, arrests for substance or liquor violations and emergency room visits.