binge drinking.

Student Lounge College Life
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<p><a href="http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=health&id=5680781%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=health&id=5680781&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>"Another reason to avoid binge drinking -- we're learning young people who drink heavily run the risk of serious health problems years later.</p>

<p>Watching crazy party scenes in movies like "Animal House" or "Old School" may be a trip down memory lane. But new research suggests what you did then could hurt you now. College students who drink heavily can double their levels of a blood marker call C-reactive protein (CRP).
CRP raises your risk of heart disease. Other research shows drinking heavy amounts of alcohol over time can actually decrease brain volume.</p>

<p>"Even occasional episodes of heavy drinking may be bad for one's health," said Dr. Kenneth Mukamal of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. "In our studies, even people who binge drink on occasion seem to have very substantial increased risks of dying, say, after a heart attack."</p>

<p>But not drinking at all isn't the answer, either. Non-drinkers have higher CRP numbers than those who drink a little, bringing new meaning to the message that moderation is key.</p>

<p>So what exactly is a moderate amount? Dr. Mukamal says it's one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men -- as many days a week as you want, and any type of alcoholic beverage.</p>

<p>This raises your good cholesterol levels, helps lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes, serves as a blood thinner, and may actually ward off dementia.</p>

<p>"Light doses, we seem to lower our risk of certain diseases," said Dr. Mukamal. "But clearly, at heavier doses we increase those risks."</p>

<p>Experts also say you won't get any of the health benefits from moderate drinking until you hit your 50s. Until then, just saying no is really the healthiest way to go."</p>

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<p>lets all live a long, dull life</p>

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<p>trust me..im not saying dont drink. i just thought it was an interesting article.</p>

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<p>Drinking just dulls the pain of your dull lives. They're still dull.</p>

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<p>too much of anything is bad</p>

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<p>yep, it's all about the doctrine of the mean. I drank a bottle of captain morgan's last night.</p>

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<p>CRP is just a marker of inflammation - when you get sick, have an injury, or are just stressed out, that value will go up. CRP itself doesn't cause heart disease.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
Drinking just dulls the pain of your dull lives. They're still dull.

[/quote]

eh...i guess if you're the type to drink by yourself in your dorm room...</p>

<p>most times it's not so much the alcohol itself that's fun, but the social situations that it facilitates. in no way am i condoning irresponsible behavior or denying that alcohol can cause it, but for for a lot of people it makes talking to people just a little easier in certain settings.</p>

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<p>who cares.
have a beer.</p>

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<p>
[QUOTE]

"In our studies, even people who binge drink on occasion seem to have very substantial increased risks of dying, say, after a heart attack."

[/QUOTE]
</p>

<p>I think most people have an increased risk of dying, say, after a heart attack.</p>

<p>haaaah.</p>

<p>screw all this anti alcohol bull. Someone needs to start a thread in search of CC'ers favorite drinks.</p>

<p>I'm not an avid drinker but I hear Ketel One is supposed to be great.</p>

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<p>Ketel sucks, as does most other mass market vodka. The only really good widely available vodka is Belvedere, imo.</p>

<p>As for the article: yeah, whatever. Almost everything is bad for you. I do what I enjoy, don't do it excessively, and if that means I die a couple of years sooner, so be it. I'm not going to go around shooting up black tar heroin with some AIDs-afflicted addict's needle, but I'm also not going to do everything I could to prolong my life at the expense of other things (and you would not believe how much there is to do).</p>

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<p>Nothing wrong with alcohol, everyone who lives to be 120 - their secret is, a couple drinks a day.</p>

<p>Even binge drinking for college, so you might cut 5 years off your life. Big deal. if you had fun it's worth it. </p>

<p>Only If you binge drink all your life, that isn't fun</p>

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<p>
[quote]
Even binge drinking for college, so you might cut 5 years off your life. Big deal. if you had fun it's worth it.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Dude we should hang out. I like being around mature people like you.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
Dude we should hang out. I like being around mature people like you.

[/quote]

hmm. i don't sense the sarcasm, sorry...</p>

<p>i want to live a "long" life just as much as anybody else, but i'm not pulling all the stops just so i can guarantee a life 80+ years but with regrets or experiences not had. i want to live a life that's both satisfying and exciting in the present while still having an eye out for the future, rather than a life that keeps looking so far ahead that once you get there the only thing you can do is look back and think "what if...". hard work and fun of any sort should not be mutually exclusive. if drinking (albiet maybe not "binge" drinking) helps along the way to have certain experiences, then so be it. there's too many people to meet in this world and too many experiences to be had to think that a high GPA and a pretty resume is all that matters.</p>

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<p>Well I wasn't being sarcastic, not sure about the other poster
No problems here w/binge drinking at all. Also definition = 5 drinks in an hour, for some that equals intoxication and throwing up, others it hardly affects.</p>

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<p>naw, i was talking about MightyNick.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
hmm. i don't sense the sarcasm, sorry...

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Sober up. And then you will. :)</p>

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<p>^ oh please, how pathetic.</p>

<p>please don't dare associate one's drinking habits with their aptitude. i tried that at the beginning of college and was in for a rude awakening.</p>

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<p>It's not pathetic. I have no respect for binge drinkers.</p>

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<p>You only live once. Binge drinking is fine to me as long as you aren't really sick, which sucks. Do what you want.</p>