Photo: Nick Wheeler Oz, Flickr

Mortified by your muffin top? Blame the booze -- according to studies, binge drinking can add a staggering 4 inches to your waistline if you're a woman, and 2 inches if you're a man. That's according to research from a few years ago that showed that ladies who regularly went on drinking binges were 4 inches bigger around the waist than those who kept their alcohol intake under control.

So just what constituted binge drinking in comparison to regular drinking? Those classified as binge drinkers drank at least 10 units in a single session at least once a month. But while 10 units seems like a lot, keep in mind that a large glass of wine can contain three 'units.' Eeps -- sounds like a regular Sunday dinner at my mother's house.

Still, this isn't really all that surprising -- alcohol can make you fat for a number of reasons:

Used to that guilty feeling you get when you head straight to the bar after work on Fridays? Don't beat yourself up -- apparently, a healthy happy hour habit is actually good for your health.

No, really. According to this article from Women's Health, drinking can lower your risk of heart disease by 25 to 50 percent, it can help improve your memory and it can help you lose weight (if you choose the right drink.)

But, bear in mind, this is moderate drinking we're talking about. Chugging a litre of tequila is not going to help your memory or your waistline (the opposite, in fact, as you might already know), so try to take it easy next time you hit up your local drinking establishment.

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Ever noticed how an after-work drink on Friday makes you feel sluggish all weekend, even though a drink on Saturday doesn't have the same effect? You're not alone -- it happens to a lot of people. And according to nutritionist Jane Clarke, there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for this -- it has to do with how alcohol is processed by your body after a long, hard day or week of work. In other words: If you're tired, stressed or depressed, one drink can be pretty potent, even for the most seasoned drinkers.

Other things that affect how the drink affects you? If you've just come from a workout, a cocktail will affect you more easily than it would if you hadn't worked up a sweat. Similarly, if you haven't eaten a nutritious meal beforehand, alcohol will affect you more than it would have if you had.

However, if you're in college, you're probably thinking this is a good thing. Do your liver a favour and drink wisely.

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If you knew a pint of beer had as many calories as a hot dog, would it stop you from downing six on a night out with friends. Experts in Britain think so, and they're looking into putting calorie counts on alcohol in an effort to curb binge drinking. It's thought that this move will target young binge-drinking women in particular, who are more conscious of their waistlines. The calorie count could also come with a warning like the kind you see on cigarette packs, an idea of what a food equivalent would be calorie-wise and an indication of how many standard drinks are in the serving size you're consuming (for the record, there are 2.3 alcohol servings in a pint of beer).

But not everyone agrees. Opponents of the initiative think that instead of deterring people from binge drinking, this will encourage them to compensate for the alcohol calories by skipping meals. Hmm. Good point.

What do you think? Are calorie counts on booze a good idea?

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It's been a busy week in the world of celebrity fitness. But then again, when is it not? You know you love to get the scoop on what workouts and diets are transforming the stars, and this is just the place to peek at all the hot bodies from the past week! Click on the famous faces above to see which ones are making headlines.

She may be slim, but she sure isn't the picture of health. Amy Winehouse, the troubled singer with a penchant for drugs, booze, big hair and criminals reportedly lives on junk food, according to close friends. Says one close confidant, "Those who see her on a daily basis are at a complete loss as to what to do. She is lost and bewildered and all she lives off is fizzy drinks and sweets." Because, really, if you're going to become a drug addict, the least you could do is get your five to 10 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. Gosh.

All jokes aside, I hope the singer finds the help she needs -- which evidently should include a nutritionist to keep her eating habits in line. What do you think?

(via Calorie Lab)

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Ever wonder what showgirls have to do with casino gambling? And why casino cocktail waitresses serve drinks in short skirts? The opportunity for men to indulge in as many vices as possible is one answer, but those individual indulgences may be more connected than they appear: Just like the free booze, the ladies are there to make guys looser with their money.

According to Men's Health, researchers from Stanford University found that erotic thoughts can cause men to throw more caution to the wind with respect to financial risk-taking. Using what's arguably not the most fairly balanced study variables, researchers had study participants look at either a steamy photo of a sexy woman or a home appliance. They then tracked the amount of money each man spent while gambling, finding that the group staring at the racy photos were more liberal with their money. Brain scans further revealed that looking at pictures of the hotties lit up areas in the mens' brains, associated with taking financial risk, like the Vegas strip.

"You anticipate that the beautiful woman is your reward, instead of the cash prize," says study author Brian Knutson, Ph.D. in his statement in the magazine. He also suggests thinking of something scary as a means of keeping keeping your cash stashed, as fearful thoughts were found to make men gamble less.

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I've never been a craaaaazy drinker, but I definitely had my fair share of times when I threw back one ... er, make that four or five too many. And, I've been to enough ragers to know that I'm not the only one. But it's usually around four o'clock in the morning -- when you're stumbling around, looking for someone to hook up with ... only to realize that your ride has left you and the only people left are you and a few stoners who fell asleep on a coffee table -- that you know you're in for it the next day.

Fortunately, as we get older we tend to make smarter decisions. This is especially helpful since we also fare much worse with hangovers as the years pass. One thing that doesn't change, however, is the ravenous appetite a long night of drinking can leave you with the following day. Even as your head pounds, the earth spins, and your throat burns like the Mojave desert, many times you're still in the mood for some chow (save for the times when your stomach doesn't exactly find that plan to be copacetic).

This is largely due to dehydration and low blood sugar levels. Hunger is your body's way of calling you an idiot and telling you that it needs to be replenished with fluids and nutrients. Do give into this craving; take sips of water throughout the day and eat foods high in protein and vitamins and minerals. That should at least curb your appetite. As for your hangover, well, I can't help you there.

Everyone has been to at least one wedding or social gathering where someone had too much to drink and pretended to have sex with a porcelain statue that resembled Napoleon. Okay, well maybe I'm the only one whose been to a wedding where that's happened, but I know I can't be alone in having been at a social function where someone had waaaaaay too much to drink. As evidenced by these people's behavior, getting trashed really isn't the healthiest choice you can make. However, based on research from Stirling University in Scottland, being a moderate drinker may have several benefits.

Apart from the cardiovascular benefits of drinking a daily glass of wine, it seems as though having a cocktail or two can also increase your status in the workplace. Based on the U.K. study, moderate drinkers tend to earn 17 percent more money than their non-drinking colleagues. Why? Because they tend to network more often and more freely, helping them get a leg up on their competition on the corporate ladder. Does this mean that boozing is the key to being successful? Not at all. Not only can excessive drinking do a number on your health, but it has also been shown in separate studies to have an opposite effect on salary earnings.

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With spring break right around the corner, alcohol will flow like water on the beaches where so many young people will flock to like birds. Somewhere in the course of all that frivolity, binge drinking may occur. It's a topic that has been studied, researched and enjoyed by countless people. But what's the reasoning behind why people binge drink?

On some level, researchers have found that there's a self-fulfilling pattern to booze. For example, one study observed students who were given alcohol, and what they thought was alcohol. The latter was merely a super chilled drink made to resemble icy vodka. But the results showed that people who thought they were getting drunk (who weren't) still acted the same way!

Whether it was aggression or affection, the expectations behind the alcohol fulfilled almost the same results as the people who were actually getting tipsy. But this binge drinking behavior could be rooted in some people's need to take a mental vacation. For others, it could be a reason to act out of character. It's one of those questions that may never fully be answered.

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I tend to think that moderation is the best way to go when it comes to most things, including alcohol consumption. However, I'd be a liar if I said I always followed my own rule. We all overindulge from time to time -- sometimes it can be easy to get carried away when you're having a good time. Despite the resulting hangovers, life goes on and we all have to pay for our overindulging.

If you find yourself in a situation where you've woken up with a raging headache, nausea, red eyes (etc) and don't have the luxury of laying around all day recovering in front of the TV, here are some tips from AOL's All About You on how to look good if you're hungover but still have to go about your daily life.

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People who identify themselves as alcoholics may have a new treatment option in the future. It's a drug which reduces the stress response of the brain, and it could lead to an encapsulated form of aid.

Drug-related treatments are not new for alcoholism. Traditionally, these target the pleasure response people get from drinking. However, this new option would target the stress which leads up to alcoholics drinking in the first place. It's worth noting that this finding, like many studies in the world of research, involved lab rats -- not humans.

However, the drug still targets the same protein, so this could be a viable treatment option in the future. By cutting the urge to drink (at least partially), alcoholics could be empowered to fight this addiction more effectively. Skeptics argue that this would not be a one-pill-panacea for alcoholism. Different things work for different people, so it will be good to see how this fares in larger, human-based applications.

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Here's an interesting take on the European approach to alcohol consumption entitled "Booze, Brits and Binge Drinking." In the piece, the author poses the question of why British youngsters seem to act irresponsibly with alcohol, as compared to the French, for example. I think this is a perfectly relevant question for my generation, especially over here across the pond.

I mean, it's no secret that the quintessential American college experience has more to do with football and booze than grades and learning. So why haven't we young people learned to drink responsibly yet? This is a polarizing question by design, of course, because there are many people my age who manage to drink in a sensible way. But the danger comes from those who haven't learned how, as it only takes one trip behind the wheel to ruin other people's lives too.

Is it a matter of setting bad examples? The article points a finger at people who teach that it's okay to binge drink your night away, blacking out only to wake up with the mother of all hangovers. Can't remember the night before? Then it must have been fun. Or maybe its the age at which we're exposed to it (or supposed to be)? The French seem to teach responsibility early on... very early on. Children as young as 4 could have watered-down variants. It's legally 18 for the British (and 21 over here). Some people think it should be lowered in the US! Is that the answer? It's a complicated question with many complicated elements to consider, but in the end its up to those boozing it up.

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A grad student at the University of Calgary in Canada has used the death of a family member in a drunk driving accident as inspiration for a video game that simulates the consequences of driving under the influence.

Created by Lori Shyba, the game named Booze Cruise, lets players experience tunnel vision, flared lights and slow reaction times, and forces them to avoid pedestrians and go through alcohol checkstops. While the game still throws in some silly elements -- apparently obstacles to avoid include Elvis and pink elephants -- it still deals with an important life or death subject and is meant to be taken seriously.

Shyba and the rest of the team that created the game want to give young people the chance to see what it's really like to drive after drinking, while avoiding the potentially tragic consequences. Hopefully, kids that get the chance to play Booze Cruise will realize that drunk driving is never an option.

If the game become widely available, would you encourage your kids to play it?

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For many of us, the reason we're overweight or obese isn't down to what we're eating -- it's down to what we're drinking. Soda, alcohol, juice, smoothies, lattes -- these are all major sources of calories, yet we don't think of them that way because we don't sit down with a knife and fork to eat them. CNN has done a report on this as part of their America's Killer Diet feature.

Keep in mind that drinks have a lot of calories. A large soda with your burger and fries has about 400 calories -- that's more than the fries! A syrupy sweet coffee drink from Starbucks can have upwards of 250 calories. And beer? 160 calories a bottle. For more calorie counts, check out this post on Fitbuff.

Here's a challenge: Quit the juices, the soda and the booze for a week and see if you lose any weight as a result. Drink water and tea instead and eat as you normally would. I bet you'll notice a difference -- if not in your weight, in your energy at least.

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