It seems quite weird to many of us that some would encourage teenagers to drink a little alcohol while legally under-age. But that is just what might keep them from binge drinking later in life, according to a new study.

Anna Peele's parents would let her drink at social functions and holiday meals, something that seemed ordinary to them but would catch many an American parent off-guard I think. Are small, social drinks okay for those teens in high school?

Some think that moderate drinking takes away from the mysterious, 'forbidden fruit' viewpoint many kids have about alcohol. And, since we all know most teens are perfectly non-rebellious (yeah, right), giving access to alcohol in those years may set some kind of mental precedent that would make going overboard later a slimmer possibility. What do you think?

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Of all the alcoholics out there more than half of them are young adults. Surprised? The people at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) were when they got the results of their study. Although they knew many young adults had problems with alcohol they didn't realize so many were alcohol dependent. As part of their research they identified the following 5 types of alcoholics:

• Young adult subtype: Average 24 yrs old, alcohol dependent by age 20. Characterized by binge drinking, this group is the largest group and accounts for 32% of alcoholics.
• Young antisocial subtype: Average 26 years old, alcohol dependent by age 18. More than half have an antisocial personality disorder, accounts for 21% of alcoholics.
• Functional subtype: Middle-aged working adults with stable relationships and higher incomes that generally drink every other day, often 5 or more drinks in a sitting. This group accounts for 19% of alcoholics.
• Intermediate familial subtype: Usually begin drinking around age 17 and are dependent in their 30s. More than half have close relatives who are alcoholics. This groups accounts for 19% of alcoholics.
• Chronic severe subtype: Mainly men, has high incidence of drug use, and accounts for only 9% of all alcoholics.

This information just goes to show that what you may have thought of as the "typical alcoholic" is not necessarily the case. Do you or someone you love fit any of these profiles? If you have any suspicions don't hesitate to speak with a health care professional.

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I've read studies before regarding how men and women metabolize alcohol differently, and that a woman will feel the effects of a drink sooner than a man of the same weight. But now there's new research that takes that principle one step farther: women don't just feel the immediate/short-term effects sooner, but the long-term ones also. In a study of female and male alcoholics the women suffered negative health effects, specifically brain damage, much faster than the men did.

Of course alcoholism is widely understood as damaging and unhealthy, but it is also widely underdiagnosed. Understanding the risks and not shoving the issue to the background is an important part of prevention.

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The University of Michigan recently took a look at the habits of about 3,500 young people, and what they found is that people with friends who drink and drive are much more likely to do so themselves. It's less about peer pressure, and more about social circles and what people think when they consider the risks involved -- apparently many aren't thinking things through very well.

The study is prompting policy-makers to take a new look at how they approach the issue, with new efforts focused on changing perceptions of just what the risks of drinking and driving are (it involves so much more than just getting a ticket or losing your license!) and attempting to lessen the social pressures that encourage excessive drinking in the first place.

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