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Growing up, drinking was never a big thing for me. My parents rarely drank and apparently in high school I was hanging out with the wrong crowd; because while my peers were getting wasted at house parties, I was raving about the wonders of Simply Lemonade.

So needless to say, witnessing how much drinking was a part of adult, social life came as a bit of a surprise. I was surprised that some folks seemed to get uncomfortable when I mentioned that I didn’t plan on drinking for the night. Eventually, I would find cocktails I like and I do sip every once in a while, (mimosas are my fave); but, I still don’t view alcohol as a requirement when I step out. I know that a lot of people do though; but I thought, for sure, that the one time folks would avoid alcohol completely was when they were pregnant.

I was wrong about that too. I remember once going out with a pregnant acquaintance who was celebrating her birthday. When everyone else ordered their cocktails, she quietly and sheepishly ordered a glass of wine, rationalizing that a little wouldn’t hurt right? I was shocked! But she wasn’t the only one. Women who weren’t even pregnant, talked about how they planned to drink a little bit during gestation because their doctor friends had told them it was all right in moderation. Well, ok then, to each her own.

But to me, all of this just seemed so risky. We all know that the a fetus receives nutrients through the mother’s bloodstream, the placenta and then onto the fetus’ bloodstream. Even if you’re drinking in small amounts, that’s still going directly into your baby’s blood stream. And what seems like a small glass of wine to you, is not so small to a growing baby, especially when it’s not being digested first. The whole drinking while pregnant notion sounded a bit selfish. I kept thinking if you can’t give up alcohol for 9 months, are you really ready to handle the other sacrifices that will inevitably come, for the sake of your child?

But maybe I have the whole thing wrong because a recent UK study found that drinking in moderation, two units of alcohol (i.e. a glass of wine or a half pint of beer) a week, didn’t pose any threat to children. The study which has been going on for over a decade categorized pregnant women into four groups: abstainers, light drinkers, drinkers etc. Researchers then studied the children after birth, measuring cognitive abilities, emotional development and behavior. They found that the light drinkers had children with no deficits compared to the children of abstainers. Surprisingly they found that the children of the women who drank lightly had fewer behavioral problems and higher cognitive abilities.

Despite the findings, the study is not carte blanche for women to be able to drink with reckless abandon, believing it will make their children intelligent and well behaved. There are obviously other factors that contribute to these characteristics. Plus there are some people who have a negative reaction to alcohol. Whether that be the mother or the child, drinking even lightly could still pose a potential threat. But the study is interesting considering it goes against everything we’ve been told from medical professionals for years now.

It’ll be interesting to see if the results of this study affect the women who were on the fence about completely eliminating alcohol during gestation. Will health professionals start issuing guidelines and portion controls rules about pregnant drinking?

Who knows.

Like I said, personally, drinking is not a big deal to me so I’m sure I won’t even consider sipping while I’m pregnant. There are just too many things that can go wrong during pregnancy; that if I could control this one thing, I wouldn’t feel comfortable risking it.

What about you though? Did you already drink during your pregnancy? Do the findings of this study change your beliefs about drinking during gestation? Is it something you feel comfortable doing?

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First dates, or dates in general, can be nerve wrecking, anxious, and exciting all at the same time. For many of us, we are going out with a guy we are actually interested in and want to make a good impression. For the rest, maybe it’s just for a free meal. Either way, there are always a lot of things to think about before you go out on with someone. Like these 14 things.

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Well, this a bit disheartening but nobody is perfect.

Tracy Mourning, wife of former Miami Heat player Alonzo Mourning, was arrested on Friday morning driving under the influence in Miami.

According to The Huffington Post, Mourning was clocked going 28 miles over the speed limit in Coconut Grove while driving her Porsche.

When a police officer finally stopped her a few blocks down, she’d apparently been swerving and she ran a stop sign.

At that point, the officer says Mourning then put on her charms and asked in a nice voice, “What did I do officer,” followed by a wink and then saying, “Was going fast, wasn’t I?” Okay so even at almost 4am and knowing she was wrong, Tracy tried to use the “bat your eyes” trick to get out of any trouble.

But the officer wasn’t buying it. He said her eyes were bloodshot, she was slurring her speech and reeked of alcohol. After failing a roadside sobriety test and refusing to take a blood alcohol test, she was then arrested.

No word yet on what time she was released and when she’ll have to appear in court. Her hair still manages too look good, even in the booking photo.

The Mournings have become pillars of the community in Miami where they spend countless hours giving back.  Alonzo has been known for years to throw one of the best fundraising events in town with his “Zo’s Summer Groove.”  Along with that huge money maker, the couple often scouts for other ways they can get back.

Hopefully, Tracy can get this taken care of and be extremely careful when it comes to drinking and driving (how about just don’t do it).

Honestly, how many of you still get behind the wheel even though you know you’ve probably had one too many drinks? Do you still get in the car with someone who you know has had too much to drink and let them drive?

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Although you may not be privy to everything about a man you’re dating before you fall in love, one thing you need to be sure of before you get ‘in too deep’ is his relationship with alcohol. Yup, make sure you know how he acts on a night out at the bar and after a couple of drinks. Besides observing his behavior on dates, how he interacts with friends, how he treats you, how often he calls his mama, you also need to know how he handles his liquor…because it may not be pretty.

I learned that early on in the dating game. On the first date with a guy I was crushing on in college, I got to see just how vulnerable he was when it came to alcohol. He couldn’t stop ordering rounds and I ended up having to be the one to take the wheel at the end of the night. It was a sorry sight to see his red shot eyes, being so oblivious to his own state. You see, he was/is one of those guys in complete denial about their drinking. He didn’t seem to think anything wrong happened on that date. He really had no idea that he had a drinking problem. I saw him many nights after that, because of mutual friends, acting in the same unattractive way, complete with red eyes and a disoriented nature. I’m a fan of manly men and a man who can’t handle his liquor is definitely not manly in my eyes.

I often feel sorry for the women that swoon over my seemingly together, handsome cousin. He’s a Monet for sure. On the surface, he’s handsome, outgoing and holds down a good job, but anyone who has crossed paths with him on a Saturday night out knows that he’s not a great catch at all. It’s sad really. He’s one of those aggressive drunks. He always drinks too much at each and every event. And his drinking manifests itself in the form of anger. I really can’t say whether or not his aggression is related to deep-seated pain but what I do know is that alcohol brings out the worst in him.

We all know that some people are happy drunks, some people are sad drunks, some people are touchy-feely drunks, and some people are angry drunks. Me, I want the guy who doesn’t fall into any of these categories; I need someone who controls his drinking to the point where he rarely gets drunk. Obviously, one’s relationship to alcohol can indicate a lot about his level of self-control. And if you’re dating to vet whether someone will make a good life partner and head of household, control is key.

Have you ever been turned off by a guy after you’ve seen him under the influence? 

Rarely do you hear or see a newsflash about a sober celebrity. Instead, today it’s all about catching celebs acting out in their drunken sloppiness — like uploading messy pics to Instagram. However, there are some celebs who pass on the Courvoisier, or try to stay away from liquor as much as possible. Here are 15 dry celebrities you won’t catch in a stupor anywhere.

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Kim Kardashian

Despite being the face of Midori liquer, Kim Kardashian is the one Kardashian sister who doesn’t drink. Kim claims that she hates the taste of alcohol altogether but she will have a drink on certain occasions. With a baby Kimye on the way, her non-drinking habits are even more ideal.

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Every year, people like to make resolutions so that they can have a better year and be a better person, but it never fails that midway through the year, they realize they aren’t doing any of the things they said they would do. We make the same promises to ourselves and can’t keep most, if any, of them. Let’s have a look at the most popular resolutions people like to make — and fail to keep. Hopefully, you don’t fall into this category.

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We’ve all been crazy in love before, doing wild or unimaginable things that we never thought we’d do. We tattoo his name across our bottom, or move to another state to be with him where we don’t know another single soul…other than him. But is there a limit to what you should do for your sweetheart? If you’ve been blinded by love, let me clear your vision with a list of things that one should probably NOT do for love.

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From YourTango.com.

We all know what a crucial role alcohol plays in getting people together. It lends men courage, and it lends women the kind of forbearance that makes that courage endearing rather than annoying. Social lubricant, amiright? In any case, the American Sociological Society has just published a study which states that women drink more when married than when single, while men actually drink less after they’ve tied the knot.

Our buddies at HowAboutWe have discussed some of the ins and outs of these findings, but the gist is that these “typical” marriages, in which the women drink more and the men drink less, are happy ones. The study looked at data gathered from thousands of Wisconsinites and the researchers conducted comprehensive interviews with 120 people (ideally also cheeseheads).

Find out why scientists think this is the case at YourTango.com.

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Source: nationalreview.com

The government doesn’t sleep, but I’ll settle for them having a stadium full of seats. Mayor Michael Bloomberg can be the first in line. The NYC politician wants to place a ban on sodas larger than 16 ounces.  Apparently, that’s the biggest problem facing New York and not the 8.1% unemployment rate or the rampant homelessness. Bloomberg has decided that this is the cause for him to put his cape on and fly into action.

His intentions are solid. Obesity is a serious epidemic in this country. While it should be addressed, it should not be legislated to these lengths. He is an elected official, not anyone’s parent or nanny. If he really wanted to stick his nose where it didn’t belong, Bloomberg could use some of the millions if not billions at his disposal and pay off my student loans. He’d get my vote on that. Until then, I need him to get himself all the way together. How can you be against soda but support National Donut Day? I’ll wait.

Not only is this proposed law a government overreach dictating what a person can buy with their own money, but it also falls flat when you really think about it. Sure, you can ban the sale of oversized sodas and try and control portions, but I can just as easily buy two small sizes. Or three. Or four. I’ll chug on a bottle of Pepsi and cheer to the friggin’ weekend while protestors side eye me with pickets raised high in the air. In my best Rihanna voice, “No1Currr!”

Diabetes, obesity and other health related dangers that high sugar intake can cause is very real. It shouldn’t be taken lightly. However, Big Brother needs to fall back on trying to limit choices just because they wouldn’t make the same ones. Bloomberg is not going to get a medal or ticker tape parade for attempting to mandate good health practices. He’ll likely have a riot. The government can’t even balance the federal budget and put suffering Americans back to work, yet they want to occupy vending machines and fast food joints? Are cupcakes, pretzels and candy next on the most wanted list?  I’ve got a birth certificate that says I’m old enough to decide for myself what I want to drink and at what size I want to drink it. I’m not the only grown person insulted by the government’s interference as to what I’m supposed to be quenching my thirst with.

While he might have good intentions, don’t fool yourselves into thinking that these good measures won’t pave the way for more laws for the “common good.” Some women choose to put that creamy crack into their hair every 4 to 6 weeks. I do. I’m too lazy to find another way to get my hair layed quick, so does that mean folks might decide that the chemicals in perms might mess me up and will determine how I use one? Uncle Sam might even decide next to ban tampons because it might lead to toxic shock syndrome. Think all that sounds ridiculous? So is putting the blame on soda for obesity and trying to place a Band-Aid on an issue that will not solve the problem.

I love my neighbors and I want what’s best for them. I want every person to be healthy, but it just can’t be done by force. It needs to be of a person’s free will to lead a healthy lifestyle. So until then, please pass the Pepsi.

You won’t be able to get a super-sized soda but you can buy Newports by the carton?! Where they do that at? Oh, that’s right. They want to start in New York.

Follow Stephanie Guerilus @qsteph

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Men and women can drive eachother to drink either by messing up, or as a new study shows, by being heavy drinkers themselves.

In monitoring 208 heterosexual couples in their early 20s over a 28-day period, researchers found that they could predict one partner’s binge drinking based on the others drinking pattern.

“Binge drinking in university students occurs in both young men and women. Studies with married couples show that men have more of an influence on women, but in our study, we found both young women and young men influence their partner’s binge drinking,” says Aislin Mushquash, a fourth year PhD student at Dalhousie University.

I’ve seen this dynamic with a female associate who drinks heavily and would always encourage her boyfriend to keep up with her. One of the researchers noted that this finding should serve as a warning to choose partners and friends wisely if you are easily pressured into drinking.

Because alcohol seemed to be a recurring theme among all couples,the researchers say the finding helps explain why so many young people are drinking heavily, but they still need to get to the root of each individual’s drinking and what attracted the partners to one another.

“This research answers some key question but always raises some key questions – do birds of a feather all flock together? Do heavy drinkers naturally gravitate towards each other? Does each partner have a family history of alcoholism? These are questions we don’t yet know the answers to,” says Dr. Simon Sherry, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Dalhousie University.

Have you noticed that you drink more when your boyfriend/husband drinks? Do you influence your partner’s drinking?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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