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The number of deaths related to excessive alcohol surged amid the stress and isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. The annual average number of deaths stemming from alcohol use jumped 29%, to 178,000 from 138,000, between 2016-2017 and 2020-2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed last month. At the height of the coronavirus pandemic, that was about 488 deaths per day, the data showed. Two-thirds of those fatalities were from long-term conditions such as liver disease and other complications from long-term alcohol abuse.

Just two weeks after the Southern Baptist Convention announced a new sexual abuse prevention and response curriculum for member congregations, new allegations have rocked a small SBC church in the Florida Keys. Monte Lavelle Chitty, 62, pastor of First Baptist Church in Marathon, has been charged with sexual assault, lewd lascivious behavior and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. A Monroe County Sheriff’s Office news release said a 15-year-old girl accused the married pastor of sexually molesting her after serving her spiked alcohol at the church. A subsequently released arrest report detailed that the alleged victim “felt weak, could...

-Martinis costing anywhere from $30 to $150 are popping up in places like New York and San Francisco. -The maximalist martinis encapsulate "loud luxury." -Loud luxury, in contrast to "quiet luxury," is about spending a lot and owning it. Martinis are having a moment — so, naturally, that means someone has to start charging exorbitant prices for them. Enter: The $40 martini. Recent stories from Eater SF and Punch have dug into the rise of "maximalist" martinis popping up in cities such as San Francisco and New York at wildly high prices. In Manhattan, there's a $45 citrus martini at...

Last November, ATF agents dragged a Wyoming man from his house in his underwear even as he was screaming that he had a certificate authorizing him to possess firearms, a gun rights advocate told legislators on Tuesday. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mark Jones, National Director with Gun Owners of America testifies at the Senate Agriculture Committee Meeting on Feb. 19, 2024. (Matt Idler for Cowboy State Daily) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Wyoming Legislature meant well when it decided to reinstate the firearms rights of nonviolent felons last year, but that could have led to a couple’s terrifying experience with federal agents, a gun rights advocate...

A team of neuroscientists and sleep researchers has found that rather than improving sleep, consuming an alcoholic beverage before bed can cause a reduction in REM sleep. Prior research has shown that REM sleep takes up approximately 20% of a typical night's sleep, but is still important. Though scientists have not yet figured out the purpose of REM sleep, they do know that people who do not get enough can experience emotional problems, mental acuity difficulties and memory issues. In this new study, the researchers explored whether consumption of alcohol prior to sleep might have a positive or negative impact...

Finnish start-up company Aircohol is pioneering the creation of a vodka-like spirit using carbon dioxide (CO2) extracted directly from the atmosphere. This ground-breaking approach has the potential to reduce the industry’s carbon footprint by an astonishing 50 per cent. As they say in their own words ‘Aircohol is about saving the planet in a cheerful way!’ At the core of the process is a bioreactor that converts CO2 into alcohol through a two-day fermentation process, all while avoiding the emission of greenhouse gases. The results can be distilled yet further to produce a vodka-like spirit with an alcohol content of...

The World Health Organization (WHO) is pushing for higher taxes on alcohol and sugary drinks, arguing many countries are not using taxes to encourage healthier habits. The WHO on Tuesday released data showing the global tax rates on products like alcohol and sweetened beverages and claimed such rates are “low.” The U.N. health agency found 108 of its 194 member states are taxing some sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), though such excise taxes — which are applied for certain products — are only about 6.6 percent of the price of soda. At least 148 nations applied excise taxes to alcoholic beverages, but...

Countries need to increase their taxes on alcohol and sugar-sweetened beverages, the World Health Organization said Tuesday, saying too few states were using tax to incentivize healthier behaviors. After studying taxation rates, the WHO said the average global tax rate on such "unhealthy products" was low, and hiking taxes could result in healthier populations."WHO recommends that excise tax should apply to all sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and alcoholic beverages," the UN health agency said in a statement.Excise taxes target particular goods and services.The WHO said 2.6 million people a year die from drinking alcohol, while more than eight million die from...

Matthew Perry has died at the age of 54, TMZ has reported. The beloved “Friends” star was reportedly discovered dead in the jacuzzi of a home in Los Angeles’ ritzy Pacific Palisades neighborhood just after 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon. Law enforcement sources told TMZ that first-responders rushed to the address with the call first reported as a cardiac arrest. They added that no drugs found at the scene and no foul play is suspected. In a statement, the Los Angeles Police Department stated: “We responded to the 1800 block of Blue Sail Rd for a death investigation on a male...

The evidence for keeping weed illegal keeps mounting — even as the laws get looser. A new, peer-reviewed study (on a significant data set of nearly 60,000 Canadians) has shown that adults who misuse pot have a 60% higher risk of experiencing their first heart attack, stroke, or other major cardiovascular event. In other words: Weed’s not a harmless vice. It’s a killer, like cigarettes. And unlike cigarettes, it literally drives people insane. A massive Danish study based on nearly 7 million health records drew a strong correlation between heavy cannabis use and increased risk of schizophrenia in young men....

From Sunday, workers at the main United States base in Antarctica will no longer be able to walk into a bar and order a beer, after the federal agency overseeing the research program decided to stop serving alcohol

We all have sad stories to tell occasionally and I have one. I have a friend I known for well over 40 years and she has always been fun to be around and we have stayed in touch all this time on and off. Until about a year ago I had no idea she was a committed, hard core, alcoholic. The last two years she had been talking about a decline in her health. She had taken the Covid vaccines and at least one booster and I was fearful this caused her to have some adverse effects. But the surprise...

The steady increase in cancer cases among young people could be chalked up to red meat, salt and alcohol, new research suggests. A study published Tuesday in BMJ Oncology analyzed data from 1990 and 2019, finding a 79% surge in new cancer cases in people under 50 over the course of three decades. Using data from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 study — which looked at the prevalence of 29 cancers in 204 countries or regions — the researchers investigated the number of new cases, deaths, subsequent health repercussions and risk factors for people aged 14 to 49. In...

The Department of Energy wants to require that ceiling fans be more energy efficient. It is estimated that this regulation would increase fan manufacturing costs by over $80 million per year and drive 10 to 30% of small fan manufacturing firms out of business. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm defended the new regulation, saying "it will save consumers an estimated 33 cents per month over the 10-year life of each fan. As for the impact on small businesses, we saw during the pandemic shutdown that most of them are not essential. A winnowing out of the weakest of them would probably...

The number of people in Scotland whose death was caused by alcohol has risen again to the highest level in 14 years. The latest figures from National Records of Scotland (NRS) show 1,276 people died from conditions caused by alcohol in 2022. This was 31 (2%) more than the previous year, which was the highest number since 2008. Male deaths - which were unchanged at 836 - again accounted for about two thirds of alcohol-specific deaths.

Taking after our good friends across the border in Canada, the U.S. alcohol czar has decided that we are now to have just two beers a week.According to the Daily Mail:Americans could be urged by officials to drink no more than two beers a week as part of strict new alcohol guidelines.Biden's health czar told DailyMail.com the USDA could revise its alcohol advice to match Canada's, where people are advised to have just two drinks per week.Dr George Koob — who admits enjoying a couple of glasses of Chardonnay a week — said he was watching Canada's 'big experiment' with...

BAY COUNTY, Fla. – Two Florida women are facing battery charges after a fight escalates and one of them bites the ear off of the other, according to deputies. Bay County Sheriff’s deputies said were called to a house party thrown by unsupervised minors on July 4 after midnight. According to an arrest affidavit, Macy Regan, 23, and Dixie Stiles, 18, got into an altercation when Stiles accused Regan of stealing alcohol and vape pens. Deputies said Regan attempted to leave the house when Stiles confronted her, and Regan pulled out a gun. Deputies said Stiles pushed the gun away...

Democrat President Joe Biden’s administration is planning to introduce strict new guidelines to pressure the American people to limit their alcohol consumption. Under the new rules, the Biden admin will urge the public to drink no more than two beers per week. Biden’s health “czar” Dr. George Koob told the Daily Mail the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) could revise its alcohol advice to match Canada‘s limits. The Canadian people are advised to have just two drinks per week. Koob said he has been watching Canada’s “big experiment” with interest. “If there’s health benefits, I think people will start...

Americans could be urged by officials to drink no more than two beers a week as part of strict new alcohol guidelines. Biden's health czar told DailyMail.com the USDA could revise its alcohol advice to match Canada's, where people are advised to have just two drinks per week. Dr George Koob — who admits enjoying a couple of glasses of Chardonnay a week — said he was watching Canada's 'big experiment' with interest. 'If there's health benefits, I think people will start to re-evaluate where we're at [in the US],' he told DailyMail.com. Current US recommendations say women can have...

A pair of distinctive red Crocs landed a Florida man behind bars after he allegedly robbed the bakery where he was once employed, allegedly spending the stolen money on food and alcohol. A suspect wearing a black mask, a black sweatshirt, black pants, a brown and black backpack and bright red Crocs snuck into Crumbl Cookies in Brooksville on July 20 and removed cash from the bakery's safe and cash register, according to a Facebook post from the Hernando County Sheriff's Office. The store's manager told police that the thief was probably 18-year-old Jacob Ortega, a former employee who always...