drinking

The holidays should come with a Ministry of Health warning. Not only do many of us eat too much, but we also ramp up our alcohol consumption. Unless you’re teetotal, there’s a chance you did or will continue to drink more than usual over the next few weeks. In fact, one U.S. researcher found a link between the holidays and an increase in alcohol consumption generally.

Over at The Atlantic, Neil Wagner brings attention to a recent, sobering study of alcohol use in Italy: 2,000 alcoholic participants were found to have much higher death rates than the general population — and from a whole range of different causes, including cancer, diabetes, infections, and diseases of the immunological, nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory, and digestive systems.

If you’re like me, you're always trying to find a balance between living a healthy lifestyle and living your life. With that in mind, maybe you've also wondered how much is too much when it comes to wine consumption.

Ladies, we tend to beat ourselves up. And our self-loathing extends to all kinds of things — from sleeping with the "wrong" guy (or dating that same guy for a year, despite all possible warning signs) and ordering the flourless chocolate cake for dessert (after two helpings of pie!), to the raise we never asked for or the project we're happy to let others take credit for.

I still experience peer pressure, which is ridiculous at my age. At this point in my life, I should be talking to my daughter about peer pressure, not living with it myself.