Is Your Pack-a-Day Habit a Vice, or an Opportunity?
A new website called costofyourvices.com wants to help you tally up the price of your bad habits. We'll take it a step further and help you make some money from those vices.
alcohol
Alcoholic Spirits: Halloween Puts the Boos! in Booze Sales
Halloween, the holiday of "boos" and spooky spirits, is also one of the most popular for booze and tasty spirits: The period around Halloween is the second only to the Super Bowl for alcohol sales in the U.S.
American Spirits: Mike Rowe Pours a Shot of Alcoholic Economic History
In How Booze Built America, Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs mixes little-known history with economic analysis, puns and many tasty beverages to explain how the American story is really the tale of one nation's love affair with alcohol. Here are a few of Rowe's favorite high points.
Tasty or Absurdi-Tea? Coors Brews Tea-Flavored Beer
Molson Coors Brewing is introducing Coors Light Iced T next month. The beverage will be sold in aluminum cans similar to its existing beer offerings, and rightfully so: The citrus-like brew will pack a roughly 4% alcohol punch.
Don't Forget Fido or Tiger on Valentine's Day
With Valentine's Day around the corner, pet owners aren't forgetting about the animals that supply them with unconditional love -- but they aren't going overboard, either.
Venti, Meet Vino: Starbucks Spikes Its Drink Menu
Starbucks is renowned for its caffeinated drinks, but it isn't above spiking its beverage menu here and there. The coffee giant is adding wine and beer at up to a dozen cafes in the Southern California and Atlanta markets.
The Ten States that Profit Most from Sin
As state budgets strain under huge debt loads, they are counting increasingly on "sin taxes," one of the few reliable sources of revenue in these uncertain economic times.
Spirited Startups: Colorado's Microdistilleries Follow an All-American Path
The boom in U.S. microdistilleries comes in part from many Americans reinventing their careers in a dire economy. That entrepreneurial spirit is thriving in some of Colorado's newly minted microdistilleries. And industry giants, like Jim Beam, are also welcoming these new makers of American liquor.
Microdistilleries Are Changing How America Drinks
The country's troubled history with alcohol -- particularly Prohibition -- had a huge impact on what consumers expect from their alcoholic beverages. The bland, blended spirits that became popular after Prohibition ended are finally giving way to today's thirst for unique and locally made alcoholic beverages.
Pennsylvania's Small Liquor Makers Are Bottling Heritage
Pennsylvania is closely tied to alcohol. In the Revolutionary War, it supplied alcohol to the Continental army, and after independence, it became a mecca for distillers across the country. Now, some Keystone state microdistillers are returning to those roots, with some modern flourishes as well.
Binge Drinking Is Taking a Heavy Toll on Health Worldwide
A new World Health Organization report finds excessive alcohol use results in 2.5 million deaths annually. That's more than those caused by HIV/AIDS, violence or tuberculosis. The study notes that alcohol is a far bigger danger than illegal drugs such as crack cocaine and heroin.
Caffeinated Alcoholic Beverages Go Green: Recycler Turns Them Into Ethanol
Could caffeinated alcoholic drinks, which the FDA deemed unsafe for human consumption in November, turn out to be good for cars? A Virginia-based ethanol recycler, MXI Environmental Services, is turning those soon-to-be-banned beverages into fuel.
Study: Alcohol Is Most Harmful Drug to Society
A new study indicates that alcohol is far more harmful than illegal drugs such as crack cocaine, heroin, or marijuana, based on an analysis of both direct health effects and indirect costs to society as a whole.
Is HBO's Boardwalk Empire Breaking a Modern Prohibition?
The cable network has a novel liquor-store marketing campaign tied to Canadian Club whiskey for its Prohibition-era drama Boardwalk Empire. Some critics fear it may have an influence on an unintended audience: children and young adults.
Pennsylvania Moves Forward With Wine Vending Machines
Forget candy bars or soda. In Pennsylvania, new vending machines may start dispensing wine as early as this month. It's a controversial move in a state that has long restricted the sale of bottles of wine and spirits to state-owned stores.
Alcohol and College: How Much Money Are Students Really Drinking?
The average college student spends $500 per year on alcohol, says Rachel Barrington of the University of Wisconsin. With the average student taking five years to graduate and borrowing about $23,000, that means that more than 10% of all college loans go to finance alcohol consumption.
To Your Health: Alcohol May Reduce Rheumatoid Arthritis
Need an excuse to raise a glass? A new study finds that alcohol may reduce both the severity of rheumatoid arthritis and the risk of getting it in the first place. But don't overdo it: more research is needed, and excessive drinking can do more harm than good.
Alcohol Consumption Isn't Without Risk, Especially for Youth
Health ministers agreed that binge drinking and excessive alcohol use should be curbed through taxes and marketing rules, especially those aimed at young people. But a nonbinding resolution can't compete with industry's embrace of YouTube and social media to reach out to youth.
Study Says Junk Food as Addictive as Heroin or Cigarettes
Are people who eat lots of junk food addicts? A new study provides evidence that some people who consume a lot of junk food experience cravings much like drug addicts do, require increasingly larger amounts of food to feel good, and have an even harder time quitting.
