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What young adults should know about relationships and drinking

Recently I was reading about a study conducted in Canada’s east coast.

~By Andrea Pollock

Recently I was reading about a study conducted in Canada’s east coast. The study, conducted on university aged couples reveals that partners often influence each others’ consumption patterns when it comes to binge drinking. Over a 28 day period the researchers were able to predict one partners binge drinking based on the other partners binge drinking. It’s rather unfortunate but binge drinking amongst the university aged population is quite problematic and many people will carry bad habits forward with them well into adulthood.

The study did reveal some interesting and positive information; couples who tried to reduce their consumption of alcohol together were more successful than individuals in the couple who tried to reduce their consumption alone. “In some respect this is a cautionary piece of research. Pick your friends and lovers carefully because they influence you more than you think.” –Dr. Simon Sherry, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, N.S.

Binge drinking is characterized by an episode of excessive drinking or the rapid consumption of alcohol in a short period of time. Binge drinking has been proven to be more damaging to the brain than even chronic alcoholism. Binge drinking is most prominent amongst adolescents and young adults where consequently the developing parts of the brain suffer more immediate and severe brain damage. Binge drinkers most often consume hard liquor. Another interesting factoid is that binge drinking is a much more serious problem in North America than in Europe.

In North America we could learn a lot from the Europeans when it comes to our attitudes about alcohol. It may seem a little backwards, but it isn’t uncommon for adolescents and even children to offered wine with their meals at some European tables – this early exposure to alcohol seems to mitigate a lot of the novelty of drinking that occurs with North American adolescents. Most often alcohol of any kind is consumed right alongside of food in Europe. Wine is the most common alcoholic drink in the diets of Europeans and doesn’t lend itself well to binge drinking.

On that note, for your next big weekend out with your sweetie, try passing on the shots and slowing it down with a nice glass of vino. Here is a nice wine to give a go;

Wine of the Week

Ruffino Chianti 2010 – [Italy]

The smell is rustic, simple and an appetizing mixture of earth and raisins. Flavours are mostly oak driven with very little to enjoy fruit wise. Nicely pairs with red wine reductions and sharp cheeses. 78/100 (March 22nd, 2012)