It’s safe to say that quite a large portion of people today enjoy drinking alcohol. For those who do, it is of up most importance to know how to drink responsibly and stop yourself from going over your level of alcohol tolerance. There is no excuse for going over your limit, with the right steps everybody can do it, whether you are at a party, club, bar or anywhere else. By drinking responsibly, you prevent it from taking control of you and enjoy the alcohol.

Stick To Your Limits:

The first step to responsible alcohol consumption is not to stray beyond your own limits. It doesn’t take long to learn exactly how little alcohol your body can handle and every single person is different in their ability to tolerate their alcohol. Always listen to your body and stop yourself well before you need to vomit or pass out. One easy way to remember to stop is to get a sharpie pen and draw a line on your hand for each standard drink you plan to have. In order not to get so drunk that you might get sick or suffer an awful hangover in the morning, draw no more than half a dozen lines, and cross them off after each standard drink.

Keep in mind that you are consuming to enjoy yourself and have fun, not to show off how inebriated you are. Enjoy your drink, enjoy the company of others around you and feel socially lubricated. You don’t need to keep up with the drinking of others like it’s a competition. Just stop drinking when you reach your limit, everybody else will be too drunk to remember or sober enough to know that you made a wise decision.

If you are drinking alcohol for the first time (in which case, enjoy being in middle school for as long as you can), drink slowly so you can start to get an idea of what your alcohol tolerance is. Remember that it will generally improve as you age.

The Buddy System.

As a rule of thumb, make sure you know at least two people around you wherever you are when drinking moderately to heavily. You always need to have people around to look out for you and this is particularly vital if you have a known tendency to drink enough that your reaction times begin to slow down. Having a couple friends around is the best defence against getting assaulted, robbed, raped, or worse. Always make sure somebody that you trust is actively watching your drink if you leave it for a bathroom break, to dance or any other reason, to avoid the potential for it be drugged in your absence, particularly if you are female. Do the same favour in return for them when they need it.

Don’t Turn Red

One major concern for Asian Americans is getting Asian Flush syndrome. In order to combat this, checkout this out: AF (Anti Flush) Formula, the only proven, all natural remedy for Asian alcohol flush, allowing you to drink responsibly without embarrassment.

 Drink More Water

Swap out that Coke can for a water bottle. You are also not doing your skin any good by consuming large amounts of caffeine every day. Caffeine is similar to alcohol in that it dehydrates your body, which is a major cause of drying and premature ageing of skin. Not only is Alcohol also a major cause of dehydration, it also depletes the human body of important anti-oxidant Vitamin A.  It can even break capillaries, and aggravates rosacea, which is facial redness. We all know that drinking too much alcohol damages the liver, which then makes it much more difficult for the body to cleanse away toxins.

Such toxins accelerate the aging process, and are built up from pollutants in the environment, and preservatives in food and beverages. The only fluid that can flush these toxins out is water. An inadequate intake of water forces the human body to release these toxins out through the skin causing break outs. Staying properly hydrated will also help to get rid of those nasty dark circles under your eyes. So swap out your next cocktail or latte for a bottle of water!

Stress Less

There is a direct correlation between stress and skin problems. This is why acne flare ups always seem to happen right before the big presentation or party you’ve been anticipating. Stress unfortunately can never be completely avoided, but if managed properly you could potential prevented exacerbating aggravation caused by skin problems stemming from it. Stress promotes an increase in oil production and oil secretion in the body, which when trapped under the skin leads to acne. Breaking a sweat is a great way to relieve stress.

Exercise will not only release endorphins that cause feeling of happiness but your pores will be unclogged due to the sweat released. Exercise also benefits the circulation of oxygen and nutrients to the skin, which goes a long way to creating a glowing complexion. While sweating is not exactly the most attractive way to maintain healthy skin it is a natural alternative to harsh chemicals in some facial cleansers, and an easy way to release stress to benefit your life all around. So during periods of increased stress it’s important to pay extra attention to skin care.

Keep Your Skin Tight

Having tight skin is the key to looking young and fresh. As people age or after losing weight, it is common for one’s skin to become loose. One of the best ways to tighten your skin is to limit your exposure to the sun and it’s harsh UV rays. Exposure to heat and chlorinated water are known to loosen the skin. A great way to keep your skin tight is to start applying Cleo Q Facial Toner to your face, which makes you look younger by reducing puffiness, clearing away lines and promoting circulation to preserve a young glow to your skin. Cleo Q Facial Toning Cream is a great natural solution for women concerned about the maintaining the youth and health of their skin.

This was a guest post written by Dan from Club Leo, who is an expert on skincare.  Visit his site for information how to tighten skin on face quickly and efficiently.

In an age of Big Pharmaceutical companies and quick fix medications, some of the best solutions for many ailments are still the ones your grandparents used. In order to relieve their gout suffering and pains, your forbearers.

had no choice but to use ingredients and remedies that were already available around the home. Even though many of these common sense remedies have gone out of fashion in the last few decades, they are still the cheapest and most effective remedies for Gout. Now even more than other, treating gout with old fashioned remedies has become extremely popular.

Before we move onto the detailing the actual remedies, it is important to recognize that the most effective way to treat Gout is to prevent it from striking in the first place. Although anybody can get Gout, it disproportionately affects men. If you are reading this article looking for a gout remedy, you are probably a man in his 40’s or 50’s who may be overweight or have a history of gout afflictions in your family. Gout can be triggered by heavy alcohol use, crash dieting, chemotherapy and the comfort eating and drinking that often accompanies stress. Stay fit and be vigilant about what you put into your body to avoid having to ever use the following gout remedies.

• Apply some Ice to the afflicted area. Directly applying ice to the source of the pain is the first key line of defense for treating gout. Alternate applying cold ice packs to the inflamed and swollen joints for 10 to 15 minutes at a time. Applying ice may feel uncomfortable for the first few minutes, but persist with it and it will reduce the pain and inflammation of your gout.

• If your gout is causing you considerable pain, consider taking a warm bath with a couple cups of Epsom Salt added in. Epsom Salt is almost certainly a staple in your grandma’s house. Epsom Salt can basically be used for everything from soothing muscles to being used as a laxative. Epsom salts are so effective because they contain Magnesium, an element which can raise your heart circulation and lower blood pressure, when it’s levels are raised which helps to treat Gout. The Magnesium in Epsom Salt helps to purge harmful toxins and heavy metals from your system, which is one of the reasons why elevated Magnesium levels reduce stress. This is why soaking yourself in a bath with a couple cups of Epson Salt is one of the best reliefs for gout pain.

• While applying ice and using Epsom Salts are my most highly recommended solutions for treating gout, there are many more where that came from. From something as easy as taking some ibuprofen or exercising your joints. Eating certain foods such as fresh strawberries and to a lesser extent, seeds, grains and nuts will help cure your gout pain due to their high concentration of vitamin C.

Whichever course of action you take, be sure to drink an abundant amount of water. Anywhere from 8 to 10 glasses of water a day will flush away toxins and dilute your uric acid levels.

Regardless of what parents or teachers try to do there will always be young people who experiment with drugs. The majority of young people in the US will try cannabis at least once, which rarely leads onto to regular use. However, occasionally experimentation with drugs leads onto abuse and addiction. What started off as infrequent use of cannabis may eventually lead to regular abuse of harder drugs.

For parents who are aware that their child is involved with drugs the situation often seems helpless. Most teenagers are at that stage of their lives where they are less willing to spend time at home and would much rather be out and about with their friends. There is no way a parent can constantly watch and protect their child, and do they really want to? For many of todays parents, experimentation with drugs and alcohol was a part of growing up, though since then drugs of all kinds have become much easier to get hold of, so what can you do?

Be Aware

Being able to identify drug abuse is probably the most important tool for fighting it. With most cases of drug abuse there are a number of tell tale signs that most of you will be able to identify straight away, here are some examples.

• The Eyes- the majority of drugs have some effect on the dilation of the eyeballs, either making the pupils noticeably large or noticeably small, regardless of light changes. As well as the pupil size, certain substances can make the eyes look bloodshot.
• Emotions- Different drugs have different effects on the brain, but noticing uncharacteristic behavior or mood swings may be a warning sign for drug addiction. However this can often be hard to differentiate between natural mood changes teenagers experience due to hormones.
• Education- Drug abuse can quickly overtake someones life, getting another fix being the users main priority. An unusual drop in attendance and grades is often a signifier of substance abuse.
• Hobbies- A fairly frequent sign of drug abuse is a loss in interests and hobbies. Frequent use of most drugs seems to drain the users passion for their previous interests.
• Peers- Replacing childhood friends with new friends which you rarely see or get to learn about, could be a sign that your child is getting mixed up with the wrong crowd. On it’s own a change in friendship group is usually nothing to be suspicious about but accompanied with some of the previous examples, there may be cause for concern.

Be Frank

For many parents drugs are something of a taboo subject and are hardly something they would discuss at the dinner table. However new research shows that honest, frank and open minded discussions with your children reduce the likelihood of abuse. Whereas instructive, opinionated, judgmental conversations often have an adverse effect.

Occasional debates about drugs with your children will let you know how they feel about them and in turn help you consider how to deal with it. Presenting them with the real facts and risks rather than scare stories will let your child know that you’re having a mature discussion and make them feel more comfortable discussing this topic with you.

Whilst it might seem uncomfortable talking about drug abuse with your children and not getting opinionated, it proves to be the best method. Encouraging and demonstrating honesty and understanding will make your child much more willing to let you know if they have tried a drug, which allows you to intervene and make them aware of the risks.

Taking Action

If your child is already in the grip of a drug addiction there is probably nothing more worrying, but there are plenty of ways to fight drug abuse.

Even if you haven’t already started talking openly and considerately about drugs it isn’t too late, letting your child know you have recognized their addiction and you want to help might cause arguments and problems at first but if you persevere and stay calm you’ll be able to help.

Assessing and identifying abuse is very important! If your child is frequently smoking cannabis then you will probably be able to tackle the situation yourself without the help of others. However if you find out your child has a problem with addictive prescription painkillers you will need to seek the assistance of medical professionals. Taking the time to understand the situation accurately will give you the best chance of helping your child and will make your child more willing to be helped.

If you are still struggling to get through to your child an intervention may be necessary. This involves gathering up all of your child’s close friends and family and letting him/her know how worried and concerned you all are and how much you want to help. Often, realizing how much they are worrying their loved ones motivates addicts to want to change their behavior.

Finally the last step you may need to take is rehab. There are plenty of different rehabilitation clinics over the US with specific treatments for a number of drug addictions, there is no shame in seeking help here and it is often the best help you can get.

This is a guest post provided by Stanley Martinson.  A part time writer, stanley is currently focused on drug related issues, and how to solve them. For more information on the subject, look at this!

he effectiveness of drug education is something that has caused many heated debates and controversy over the years. Lots of people believe that it is a waste of time as the number of recorded drug users has shown little change over the past 30 years. However drug education’s lack of impact is often put down to the approach, but will an overhaul of the methods used to teach, actually produce a different outcome? With cuts being forced upon the education system, is drug education a viable way to spend taxpayers money, does it really work?”

The Problems

For many, drug education is essentially being told to be abstinent. Lot’s of schools employ teachers from other departments to give students a lecture on drugs. Frequently, these teachers have a limited understanding and education on drugs themselves. A lecture instructing students to avoid drugs and to resist peer pressure, has repeatedly proved to be ineffective and occasionally dangerous. Drug education is internally regulated in schools, meaning there is no specific nationwide curriculum teachers follow, resulting in mixed messages and understandings of drugs.

One problem that has been repeated over and over again is the generalization of drugs. For those people who have been deterred from any drug using scare tactics and generalizations, it could be argued that drug education has been successful. However studies show that misinformation has serious consequences and that people are rarely deterred by the information they received in school. Repeatedly, the information relates directly to the prison sentences you will receive for possession and the debilitating effects of drugs. Schools often class cannabis as a dangerous substance making it sound just as damaging as amphetamines. However, it has been confirmed that cannabis is a non-lethal drug, and it is near impossible to overdose on. On the other hand cocaine is potentially a lethal drug, taking slightly too much can cause heart attacks and strokes. A young person who finds out their school exaggerated and lied about the damaging effects of cannabis is much more likely to go on to try other drugs believing that their effects have also been exaggerated.

Government and parental paranoia has restricted the information we allow to young people and as a result drug education is nowhere near as effective as it could be, at the moment it doesn’t seem like drug education is working that well.

Honesty Is The Best Policy

However, just because the current system has issues it is certainly better than no system at all. Educating young people about the dangers and effects of drugs is important and can prevent people from becoming addicted to drugs. Instead of solely informing young people about the dangers and potential jail time they will serve, schools need to offer frank and accurate advice and information. No matter what programs and lessons the schools provide, there will always be certain people who recreationally use drugs. Instead of trying to deter people from trying drugs, the education system needs to provide students with an up-to-date information on the effects and side effects of various drugs as well as the potential dangers. Young people being informed about drugs need to be treated as adults and provided with the facts. Ironically it is often the parents fear and unwillingness to discuss this subject which leads to young people trying damaging substances.

This article was submitted by contributing author Stanley Martinson. Stanley is a health writer and is currently focused on issues of drug abuse.  For more information regarding this subject, check this out!

Finding alternatives to foods and drinks that are harmful for you is all the craze these days. You hear about all types of “new” super foods like acai, green leaf tea and goji berry making headlines. The latest to do the same is green coffee. Not everyone has heard of green coffee, but since it has emerged its head in the food market, it has been showing lots of great benefits for those who consume it. There is still being research done on green coffee, but the results shown thus far are definitely worth talking about.

Boosts Your Metabolism

One of the benefits of green coffee is that it helps your metabolism work much faster. This is great news for people who are trying to lose weight or stay fit. Green coffee contains chloregenic acid, which is the culprit for why your metabolism is boosted when consumed. Another culprit is kelp, which is also found in green coffee beans. This has lots of vitamins and minerals that help your body to maintain proper nutrient levels.

Burns Stored Body Fat

To further aid in weight loss and staying fit, green coffee beans can be used to burn stored body fat. When consumed, it helps your body to get rid of excess laden calories. Again, chloregenic acid helps with this task. It also helps to prevents glucose discharge that normally comes from your liver. When this happens, your glucose levels in the blood stream become low, causing your body to burn fat cells in order to release the glucose inside. This is then converted into energy.

Reduces High Cholesterol and Blood Pressure

A lot of Americans suffer from high cholesterol and blood pressure levels. The great news is that green coffee can be drunk to help lower these levels. When you have high cholesterol, it can eventually lead to cardiac arrest. Other cardio vascular problems can arise due to bad LDL cholesterol as well. By drinking green coffee, you will be able to better manage bad cholesterol and lower blood pressure.

Helps to Curve Hunger

Those who are trying to lose weight can use green coffee as an appetite suppressant. Food cravings are one of the top reasons why people fail to stick to weight loss diets. Green coffee can also help stop you from overeating when you do eat your regular meals throughout the day. While you are eating less, your body will be able to eliminate stored calories and fatty acids that you already have.

Gives You a Healthier Heart

Research has shown that green coffee bean extract can help to improve your heart health. Like with aspirin, green coffee beans can keep blood-platelets from clumping up, causing clogs in your arteries. This means better blood flow for your body and it prevents your arteries from becoming hardened.

Other Benefits

There are various other health benefits of green coffee bean max as well, which include improved mental alertness, detoxifies liver and boosts your energy levels.