AlcoBalance Blog
Long-form guides and research on mindful drinking, BAC, and healthier habits.
Why people want to drink less - physical health tops the list, but not for everyone
A study of 2,520 alcohol reduction app users finds their reasons for cutting back shift from physical health to control as drinking risk rises.
Three conversations in Spanish, from a neighbor, cut heavy drinking more than a booklet did
A Los Angeles RCT tested a Spanish-language program run by community health workers against a booklet, and tracked heavy drinking for 26 weeks.
Teen hours on Snapchat and TikTok track with drinking. YouTube hours don't
A year-long study of 1,522 teens finds Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram hours track with substance use, while YouTube hours don't.
Why the NoLo boom isn't reaching the people who need it most
New research from Britain shows why people who drink to cope with depression don't switch to NoLo drinks, even when they drink heavily.
Alcohol-free hobbies predicted less heavy drinking after treatment, especially in poor areas
A study of 1,726 people in alcohol treatment found sober activities cut heavy drinking more in low-income communities.
Korean students who just logged their drinking drank less - advice didn't help
A Korean study found that simply tracking your drinking with a smartphone app worked as well as adding personalized feedback and genetic reports.
A brain pathway linked to binge drinking runs in opposite directions for men and women
A 593-person brain scan study links a hippocampus-to-reward-circuit pathway to binge drinking, with opposite effects by sex on one side.
A purpose-built snack bar dropped peak blood alcohol by 30% in a tiny trial
A small RCT tested a snack bar designed to blunt blood alcohol before drinking, cutting peak levels by about 30 percent.
16% of Billboard hits mention alcohol - and the sound tells you which ones
Researchers analyzed 6,110 Billboard hits and found the audio fingerprint that predicts alcohol references in song lyrics.
Stress doesn't push most young drinkers to drink. Impulsivity does.
Negative mood reduces drinking in the moment. Impulsivity overrides it, and the mechanism shifts with how heavily you drink.
Cutting back on alcohol can move your liver disease into a lower-risk category
A 2.7 million person Korean study finds liver disease risk drops significantly when people cut back on drinking, even after heavy use.