alcohol

Official. Drinking alcohol leads to hangover.

Mon, 03/01/2010 - 20:47

Hangovers offer rich pickings for complementary therapists. It's the perfect fodder for alternative medicine. Give them an affliction almost completely characterised by a progressive recovery and they will be tumbling over themselves to offer 'cures'. Staring bleary-eyed at the Sunday supplements the recommended homeopathic regime of nux vomica suddenly seem like a good idea. Rational individuals try to reason through the fog of hangover and decide to take one pill (sorry pillule – don't want to sound too allopathic) and then wait 24 hours. Hangover cured. Personally, I’d like to see a decent double-blind RCT looking at homeopathic nux vomica versus a bacon butty.

The Drink Spiking Myth Part 2

Fri, 11/20/2009 - 13:26

As promised, here's the second part of my look at the myth of drink spiking. Last time, we saw that the idea that drink-spiking is a widespread problem is a myth, with the evidence showing that in fact in the vast majority of cases where people believe their drinks have been spiked, this simply isn't the case - the symptoms they experience have been down to alcohol poisoning.

The Psychology of Drinking: When PR and Science Collide

Tue, 06/02/2009 - 13:22

[bpsdb] The following is the introduction to a recent BBC piece titled "'Glass hold' reveals personality." I've highlighted the crucial phrase:

The way you hold your glass can reveal much more than you might realise, a psychologist has warned. Dr Glenn Wilson, a consultant psychologist, observed the body language of 500 drinkers and divided them into eight personality types. These were the flirt, the gossip, fun lover, wallflower, the ice-queen, the playboy, Jack-the-lad and browbeater. Dr Wilson, who carried out the work for the Walkabout bar chain, said glass hold "reflected the person you are".

Yes, either Walkabout are now major supporters of science research, or once again we are seeing the effects of 'churnalism' - a press release from some unknown PR company abusing science for promotional ends, recited by media outlets as if it represents some sort of serious research.