Frequently drinking too much booze does not mean you're an alcoholic.
In fact, it means that only rarely.
A new study by the CDC and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration finds that 1 in 3 American adults meet the definition of heavy drinking—for men, having five or more drinks in one sitting or 15 or more in a week; for women, having four or more drinks in one sitting or eight or more in a week.
But of those so-called "excessive" drinkers, only 1 in 10 also meets the definition of alcoholism or alcohol dependency, which the CDC says involves "a current or past history of excessive drinking, a strong craving for alcohol, continued use despite repeated problems with drinking, and an inability to control alcohol consumption."
The survey of 138,100 adults ultimately suggests that excessive drinking may actually be easier (though still not easy) to deal with than previously thought, reports The New York Times.
"We need to think about other strategies to address these people who are drinking too much but who are not addicted to alcohol," the head of the CDC's alcohol program says.
Some studies have found that higher alcohol prices lead to lower alcohol consumption, while zoning laws that lower the number of places serving alcohol can do the same.
Roughly 88,000 deaths in the US every year are blamed on excessive drinking, costing the country $223.5 billion in 2006, but only 3,700 of those deaths (less than 5%) are actually linked to alcohol dependence.
Video: TODAY style editor Bobbie Thomas shows Kathie Lee and Hoda her favorite gifts for girlfriends. Looking for the perfect gift for a girlfriend — or something to put on your own wish list? TODAY's Bobbie Thomas has some pretty presents for your best friends (or yourself).
1.The softest slippers
figleaves.com
Ruby + Ed Slippers, which originated in the United Kingdom, have amassed a cult following here in the states over the last few years thanks their super soft and cozy insides, made from faux fur and fleece. The iconic, ballerina style was so popular that the slippers are now available in a fun assortment of styles for every personality, from whimsical whiskered pairs to designs with cute, crushed velvet bows. ($45-$63, figleaves.com)
2.Special studs
bloomingdales.com
It's easy to get into an earring funk, wearing the same plain pair everyday — which is why I'm currently smitten with options from Aqua. Their studs make perfect gifts for friends and family because they're wearable, and they all feature a little something special. Some styles are double sided, while others feature a chic, around-the-lobe look. A subtle and fashionable way to help your pal mix things up. ($15-$38, bloomingdales.com)
3.Luxe beauty keepsakes
Sephora
This time of year, haute beauty brands often offer limited-edition gift sets that include not only cosmetics but also a bonus makeup bag. The bottom line? You get the gift, plus a designer accessory. This year some of my favorites include Dior's Deluxe Holiday Palette for $75, which is housed in a stylish zippered case. It can easily be emptied to double as a clutch, with room for your phone, keys and more. YSL and Chanel are also offering up sets that will let you and your pals get your hands on coveted labels for a fraction of the cost of a full size handbag.
Additionally, jewelry designer Alexis Bittar has crossed into the beauty realm with a new collection of brushes and compacts for Sephora. Although the females on your holiday list will lust for them, the impressive items also make a perfect perk for yourself. (Trust me, the bejeweled mirror will make you feel like a glamazon every time you take it out of your purse.) ($42-$175, sephora.com)
4.Benefitof bling
Benefit
Something for the teens, tweens and daring gals in your life: Benefit Cosmetics is offering a special holiday bling service at their eyebrow shaping bars, ranging in price from just $5 to $20. Now through Jan. 1, 2015, you can have one of their pros apply Swarovski crystals to your brow line (yes, your eyebrow line!). They'll last up to three days when properly cared for, and there's even an at-home kit to get creative yourself.
Officers responding to noise complaints in Jesmond, Newcastle, found hundreds of undergraduates in various states of undress wearing bondage gear
Police called to investigate a rowdy house party after complaints from neighbours got more of an eyeful than they were expecting.
When cops arrived at the tiny terraced property in Jesmond, Newcastle, they found hundreds of undergraduates in various states of undress wearing bondage gear.
One room in the house had been converted into an ‘urban jungle’ with leaves, camouflage, signs, strobe lights, smoke machines and music speakers, reports the Chronicle.
Images of the party - which had the theme M&S/S&M - were published by the university newspaper ‘The Tab’.
Attendees were given the choice of attending in Marks and Spencer-themed outfits - or sexy S&M garb.
At one stage, around 250 young people were said to be packed into the house.
Northumbria Police were called at 2.43am on Sunday to reports of a house party ‘with a large number of people and loud music'.
A police spokeswoman said: “We were made aware of the party from a neighbour, and officers decided to attend.
“The occupants were asked to keep the noise down and ask people to leave because the music was very loud.
“They were spoken to, and agreed to end the party and everyone left in an orderly manner.
“There were no criminal offences disclosed.
“It was very noisy, with a large number of people inside.”
The party organiser, who did not want to be named, said: “We sat down a month in advance and worked out a plan.
has been just about everywhere promoting 1989, so publications are really digging around for a new angle.
Enter Lucky. Swift is the cover star of their upcoming issue, and in an excerpt released online, they get to the bottom of Swift's mysterious, MIA belly button.
"I don’t like showing my belly button," she said. "When you start showing your belly button then you’re really committing to the midriff thing. I only partially commit to the midriff thing—you’re only seeing lower rib cage. I don’t want people to know if I have one or not....I want that to be a mystery. As far as anyone knows based on my public appearances, they haven’t seen evidence of a belly button. It could be pierced. They have no idea. If I’m going to get some sort of massive tattoo, it’s going to be right next to my belly button because no one’s ever going to see that."
The latest technology used by Apple and Google to meet consumers' demands on securing private data is hitting a nerve with the Department of Justice.
In a meeting last month with Apple executives, the No. 2 official at the Justice Department said the company's new encryption technology that locks out law enforcement would lead to a tragedy, The Wall Street Journal reported. A child would die and the police would not be able to search the suspect's phone, the official allegedly said.
Apple executives called the comments “inflammatory” and they told the government it could get the information from other sources, like telecommunication companies, leading to a standoff between Apple and the DOJ.
Law enforcement officials have said the new technology would make it harder for them to search phones for text messages, pictures and contacts. Apple would not have the key to decipher the information on the phone either, the Journal reports.
Apple's iMessage service also encrypts data from "end-to-end," but some experts say Apple's program has technical features that may leave it vulnerable to determined snooping.
Globally popular messenger app WhatsApp, owned by Facebook, is also using a powerful encryption to protect users' conversation from unwanted snooping.
WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum has said he's deeply committed to user privacy because he grew up in the Soviet Union during the 1980s, when his mother and other adults routinely assumed that authorities eavesdropped on their phone calls.
TextSecure is designed to make WhatsApp messages unable to be read by anyone but the sender and recipient, even if subpoenaed. The encryption feature is offered by default, meaning WhatsApp users don't have to turn it on and shouldn't notice its presence, according to a statement from Open Whisper Systems.
At the Wall Street Journal's global tech conference, Apple CEO Tim Cook stressed the importance of consumer privacy regarding their personal data.
Cook said if officials want something personal, they need to go to the user to get it, not the company.
Cook believes the consumer will appreciate the efforts to protect their privacy in case of a major catastrophe.
“When that happens everybody wakes up and says, ‘Oh my God,' and they make a change,” he said at the conference. “What that event is, I don't know, but I'm pretty convinced that it's going to happen.”
Miss World contestant Maria 19, and her sister Sofia, 23, were found buried by a river nearly a week after they disappearedDumped unceremoniously in the back of a truck in a brown body bag - this footage shows the tragic end for aMiss World contestant whose life appeared to promise so much glitz and glamour.
Recovered from a muddy grave, the bodies of reigning Miss Honduras Maria Jose Alvarado, 19, and her sister Sofia, 23, are driven off in the back of a pick-up after being discovered buried by a river nearly a week after they disappeared.
Forensics experts in protective suits carried the bodies to the truck with the jungle and a crowd of onlookers in the background.
Grim find: Forensic experts carry one of the bodies to the truck
Detectives said the 26-year-old has already confessed to the macabre crime.
Maria Jose disappeared along with her student sister last Thursday, less than a week before the start of this year's Miss World contest.
Her photo still featured on its official website today alongside a profile describing her as a keen volleyball and football player.
Local reports said Ruiz, who had been under arrest since the weekend, had confessed to shooting the two women dead in a jealous rage after his girlfriend had danced with another man at his party.
Reuters
Removal: The bodies were loaded into the back of a pick-up
Police chief Leandro Osorio said: "We have Plutarco Ruiz, the material author of this abominable crime.
"We have found the murder weapon and the car that was used to transport their bodies.
"We can say 100 per cent the bodies are those of the missing women."
The sisters' bodies were found buried on land by the Aguagua River in a mountainous area known as Piedra Gigante or Giant Stone near to the private party venue where their alleged killer celebrated his birthday.
Ruiz is understood to have led police to the burial spot after confessing following several days of questioning.
Detectives say he used his white Toyota pick-up to transfer the sisters' bodies to the spot where they were buried - before sending the vehicle off to be cleaned and painted at a local garage.
An alleged accomplice, named locally as Aris Maldonado, is also facing a double murder charge.
Getty
Deaths: Maria (pictured) and Sofia are thought to have been killed near their home after leaving the birthday party of Sofia's boyfriend Plutarco Ruiz
The dead womens' mum had made several appeals for their safe return after they left her home in Santa Barbara for the party.
Teresa de Jesus said after Sofia's boyfriend's arrest she considered him a key suspect and claimed neighbours had told her he was "jealous and problematic" when he had been drinking.
Students at their university, the Polytechnic centre of the North, marched in white tops yesterday to demand their safe return.
Designer Eduardo Zabla, who on Sunday was due to hand Maria Jose the dress she hoped to win Miss World with, said before she was found dead: "I am very worried and anguished. I don't know what to think.
Beauty: Maria, left, was due to compete in the Miss World contest in London
"Maria Jose is a very good girl, very disciplined. I've been ringing her mobile constantly since her family told me she had disappeared, but there's no answer because it's switched off."
The case has caused consternation in the notoriously violent Honduras home to the most dangerous city on the planet.
San Pedro Sula, just over 30 miles from Santa Barbara, is the murder capital of the world with more than 1,200 killings a year among its nearly one million inhabitants.
Its murder rate of 169 per 100,000 people far surpasses anything in north America or much larger cities like Lagos or Sao Paulo.
Pretty Maria Jose beat 18 contestants to win the Miss Honduras crown in April.
The Miss World grand finale takes place on December 14 at ExCel London in the heart of the capital's Royal Docks area.
Swiss-born medical student Carina Tyrrell, 24, a qualified ski instructor and competition level gymnast, is representing England.
Scotland is represented by media and marketing student Ellie McKeating, 20, from Glasgow.
Ireland's representative is business studies student Jessica Hayes, 20, from Cork.
Julia Morley, chairman of the Miss World organisation, said in a statement this afternoon: "We are devastated by this terrible loss of two young women, who were so full of life.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Maria Jose Alvarado and Sofia Trinidad at this time of grief.
"We are receiving messages of condolences and support from our Miss World family across the world, who all share our sadness at such a tragedy.
"We will be holding a special service with all the Miss World contestants on Sunday, where we will be honouring the lives of Maria Jose Alvarado and Sofia Trinidad, and say prayers for them and their family."
The three grans share a bong as an observer watches how the react to different challenges, including playing jenga and card games.
After just 5 minutes, the trio are noticeably more relaxed and giggly.
Friendly fun: The trio were surprised to enjoy the experience
And by 40 minutes, their eyes are clearly gazed over as the struggle to stop laghing.
The first gran says: "When I did it my muscles in my neck seemed not as tight. I am seeing lots of benefits for it" - to which the second gran replies: "I totally lost track of what you were talking about."
The third grandma then adds: "I think I inhaled more but I don't feel as high as they look to me."
They they then tuck in to some munchies, before the film ends with the message: "No grandmas were harmed in the making of this video."
