Photo: Teecycle Tim, Flickr

OK. Time to fess up. Have you ever stifled the urge to chuckle while at yoga class? You have to admit that, when you take a sweeping glance around the room, you and your classmates sometimes look less zen and more like twisted pretzels that have gone horribly awry.

Yoga is wonderful for strength and flexibility, not to mention what an awesome stress reliever it is. But it does open itself up to a fair share of jokes. If you're looking for a quick laugh, take a look at Fun Tuna's post Drunk People Yoga Positions. Don't worry, yoga, we only poke fun because we love you. And, hey, maybe a few extra drinks is the answer to finally being able to hold Plow Pose.

If you're looking for more information about yoga -- sober yoga, that is -- check out yoga on AOL Health.

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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Have you ever heard of the slang term Drunkorexia? I hadn't either before reading this article on CBS outlining the trend seen among certain women on the party scene. Apparently the ladies they are referring to enjoy a good night on the town with alcohol, however they eat much less beforehand in order to reduce the chance of gaining too much weight.

Even though booze carries its fair share of calories, cutting back on substantial food to make room for alcohol is a bad idea. Nobody is saying avoid it altogether, but is it really necessary to starve yourself in order to party? The article cites a statistic saying 30 percent of females who have alcohol problems also have eating disorders too.

If this term has any shred of truth behind it, then that statistic probably isn't coincidental. Of course, the issue doesn't have as much to do with alcohol as it does with an obsession to be insanely slim. Hopefully some day society will stop putting so much emphasis on aesthetics and concentrate on the bigger picture.

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There are certain distinctions that cities can take pride in (Arlington, VA, for example, is considered the most educated city in the country, according to Money Magazine), and there are others that they would probably prefer remain a secret. Such is likely the case with WebMD's listing of the 50 Drunkest Cities in America.

According to the article, Denver, Colorado is the most dangerously drunk city in the country, followed by Anchorage, Alaska and Colorado Springs, Colorado.

To come up with their list, the folks at WebMD looked at annual death rates due to alcoholic liver disease, as well as the number of people who regularly drink five or more drinks in a sitting. They then factored in drunk-driving arrests and the percentage of fatal accidents involving intoxicated motorists. They then took into account the MADD report card of state efforts to cut down on excessive drinking. The end result of this calculation was the following list, which can be viewed in its entirety by clicking HERE.

Don't overdo it this weekend! Here are some tips:

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I heard it on the radio yesterday, the news flash revealing that some police officers in Canada are parking themselves at fast-food drive-thru windows in order to catch drunk drivers. Why go fast-food? Because law enforcement officials kept hearing from drive-thru employees, "You should be here late at night." And because who doesn't like to eat after consuming too much alcohol?

Project WULF -- stands for "would you like fries?" -- puts cops right in the drive-thru booths where they can pick up on slurred speech and can sniff out the smell of liquor. When suspicions mount, the observing officer advises a second officer who stops the vehicle as it departs.

Already, a number of impaired-driving charges and roadside suspensions have been issued as a result of Project WULF. But does this make it a good venture? One of my morning radio co-hosts says it's a great thing. Getting drunk drivers off the road is critical, he says. His partner says it's totally unfair, a form of entrapment even. What do you think?

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If you remember your high school days, the terms peer pressure and experimentation were probably pretty common. So were drinking, partying and even drug use if you ran with the wrong kind of crowd.

New research says that partying isn't the only reason high school kids get drunk, though. The top reason surveyed high schoolers gave for their drinking? To have a good time. Having 'experiences' apparently trumped good judgment in these kid's cases.

Other top motivations to drink in high school included:

• Experimenters: Drinking to experiment with alcohol. The largest group
• Thrill Seekers: Drinking to get high. More common among boys than girls
• Relaxers: Drinking to relax
• Multi-reasoners: Drinking for many reasons, including anger and frustration
  

And to think -- these kids weren't even living in the real world yet. Yikes!

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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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If you're a woman and you drink about three times per day, you may be increasing your breast cancer risk, according to research out of the U.S. this week.

In fact, the equivalent of smoking a pack of cigarettes is what three drinks per day will get you in terms of breast cancer risk. That ought to rattle some chains if you're a female drinker who does not smoke.

The new pieces of information with this study looked at the alcohol itself and the amount consumed when related to breast cancer risks, instead of the specific type of drink.

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In April, Fitz K wrote a touching post about the potentially devastating effects of drunk driving. In the post, Fitz describes how Corey Dahlem, a family friend and police officer with the Gainsville Police Department, was killed by a 20-year-old drunk driver after a local sporting event.

While I won't take the responsibility square off the driver for making the choice to drink and drive, I wonder if the tragedy (and others like it) could have been prevented had the man been driving a car with some of the new technology discussed here, which is meant to prevent drivers from taking the wheel after too many drinks.

The article discusses Saab's AlcoKey system -- basically a breathalyser linked to a car's ignition that prevents the vehicle from starting if the driver blows over a certain alcohol limit. Meanwhile, Nissan has integrated cameras and sensors that detect everything from sweaty palms to drowsiness. While the various devices will stop a car from starting if they detect signs of drunkenness beforehand, once a car is in motion they can only warn a driver that he or she is impaired -- it is still up to the driver to pull over. While the technology may not be perfect, it's a pretty impressive start.

I appreciate that car manufacturers are working to make the roads safer and think that similar technology should be mandatory in all new vehicles. What do you think?

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Binge drinking, though seemingly fun at the time, is dangerous for your health and can lead to some painful symptoms the next day. Recently, a study made an interesting discovery: Binge drinkers tend to head to the beer cooler as opposed to the liquor or spirit aisles when they're looking for something to get drunk off of. These findings could potentially lead to high taxation for beer as opposed to other forms of alcohol. It could also lead to more rules concerning when beer is available to buy. A few drinks becomes a drinking binge once someone has 5 or more drinks.

Why is this? Some think it's convenience -- beer is readily available at grocery and convenience stores. I think the act of drinking beer in itself is conducive to binge drinking -- it goes down more smoothly than other types of alcohol and it takes longer to get drunk on beer. What are your thoughts?

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Gastric bypass surgery is becoming fairly commonplace anymore, and so many of the risks, side-effects, and potential complications are more and more understood. One "side-effect," however, is still boggling doctors and scientists: the way gastric bypass surgery patients react to drinking alcohol.

The fact that many post-surgical patients were reporting similar symptoms of "getting drunk faster" and "I'm suddenly a cheap date" prompted a study to look at just how the surgery changes the way a person's body metabolizes alcohol. The data confirms that people who've had gastric bypass surgery have faster spikes and slower declines in blood alcohol levels than people who haven't had the surgery.

There are several theories out there on why and how this happens, but so far very little concrete facts. But whatever the cause, it's definitely something to be aware of!

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By now just about anyone with a TV or access to a computer has seen the infamous video of David Hasselhoff -- aka The Hoff -- lying on the floor shirtless, drunk and slurring. The former star of Knight Rider and Baywatch, and current Youtube favorite for his hilarious music videos, was filmed by his teenage daughter in a physical and mental state that was anything but hilarious.

Apparently Hasselhoff is a recovering alcoholic and in the video it definitely looks like he has fallen way off the wagon. Anyone who has ever struggled with drinking or knows someone who has, realizes that alcoholism is a disease that is often deadly and destroys the lives of the sufferer as well as of their family, friends and other loved ones. The sad thing is that much of the resulting coverage from the video treats the footage as a big joke.

Perhaps taken out of context it would be funny to watch someone who has had one too many drop fast food out of their mouths onto the floor (and whether or not even that is funny is subjective). However, I find it very sad to watch this man, who obviously has a problem with drinking and is obviously very upset over his personal troubles, attempt to pacify his pleading underage daughter who is stuck in the middle of the mess. Some say that celebrities deserve what they get but would it be so terrible to show the guy a little compassion?

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I posted two blogs a while back, Hey Smokers! This is what your friends won't tell you! part 1 and part 2, and got a firestorm of comments. Lots of defenders of smoking, and of course the ones who despise it. One interesting thing I've pulled out of it, is that people are comparing it to drunk driving. To me, the topics are two different beasts with some similarities. I 'm one of the despisers of smoking, and now even more than ever before, I am a despiser of drunk driving.

Two weeks ago, Lieutenant Corey Dahlem, our family friend and hero from the Gainesville Police Department in Florida was hit by a drunk driver and killed. Corey was on a street that was closed for the University of Florida National Basketball Championship celebration. The festivities were winding down, and Corey was on the road to make sure none of the student and local partiers were. A drunk male, age 20, drove through the police barricades and struck Corey. Two motorcycle officers had to jump from their bikes to avoid being struck as well. A few blocks away, the driver was stopped and had no idea why he was stopped. He later blew a 2.4 on his breathalyzer test. Almost three times that of Florida legal limit. (Corey, far right, was photoraphed the night he was struck, congratulating UF students on their teams victory).

Corey was a humble man, hard worker, and spectacular father, friend and husband. If he and the other officers were not on that road at that time, dozens of civilians would have been killed before the drunk stopped. Hero is an understatement. Two thousand people mourned his loss and celebrated his life at his funeral. A lesson on parenting was preached by the stories of how Corey ate lunch at school with his kids several times a week when they were little. At 18 and 21, he was still cooking them meals and driving his daughter to college.

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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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