THE NOVA BLOG
Encouragement, research, practical advice, and real stories for building a more peaceful life.
FEATURED STORY
A five-ounce pour only equals one standard drink at a particular strength. Here is how to make sense of the glass, the label and the number you record.
NEWS & RESEARCH
We usually describe an alcohol craving as a thought: I want a drink. New research asked a different question. Where do people actually feel that craving in their bodies?
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A strong alcohol warning can get someone's attention. But new research asks a harder question: does it also leave them feeling capable of changing?
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America may be drinking less overall, but a new national study found one age group moving in the opposite direction: adults ages 50 to 64.
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Alcohol is a proven carcinogen, but cancer risk is not a switch that flips from safe to dangerous. Here is what the evidence actually says about dose, cancer type, absolute risk, and what changes when you drink less or stop.
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Nonalcoholic beer. Dealcoholized wine. Alcohol-free. 0.0%. They sound like different ways of saying the same thing. They aren't necessarily.
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Distillers filled warehouses with whiskey, Scotch and cognac based on what they thought we would drink years later. Then drinking culture changed.
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The liver has an extraordinary ability to recover after alcohol is removed, but recovery depends heavily on how much damage already exists. Here is what the research actually shows.
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Replacing your usual drink with something alcohol-free sounds almost too simple to make a difference. New research suggests it can work, but why it works may depend on what you were actually looking for in the drink.
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A huge new study found lower mortality among low-to-moderate wine drinkers while beer, cider and spirits showed the opposite pattern. Does that mean wine is healthier? Not so fast.
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The brain does not recover from alcohol on one universal timeline. Here is what research shows about cognition, neuroplasticity, brain structure, cravings, and what may improve after you stop drinking.
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A new study found that social isolation changed alcohol drinking in mice and identified a brain circuit that may help explain why. The human story is more complicated.
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Low sugar. Low carb. Gluten-free. Electrolytes. Alcohol is borrowing the language of wellness, but a healthier feature and a healthy drink are not necessarily the same thing.
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New data from the United States adds to a much bigger story. Across countries, generations and beverage companies, the relationship with alcohol appears to be changing.
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Traditional wine sales continue to soften while alcohol-free alternatives grow. Here's what that shift says about culture and why you may be less alone than you think.
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