By LARRY ESKRIDGE of the Daily Ledger
CANTON — The cost of underage drinking and ways to reduce it provided the focus of a town hall meeting Tuesday at the Donaldson Center in Wallace Park, sponsored by SADD/SWAT, the Coalition for Wise Choices, the Making Wise Choices program, the YWCA, the YMCA, and United in Jesus Outreach Ministries.

District 66 Superintendent Roy Webb said he was pleased to see such a large turnout, noting he believed so many people came because there was a concern about young people in the area.  » More

First reactions to news that Erie residents suffer from a high rate of depression might be to either dismiss the findings or jest about the results. After all, many of us have so much affection for our hometown that thousands of people flocked to a new Facebook group, "You might be from Erie Pa IF," to share fond memories about Erie's special foods, beautiful peninsula, quirky characters and endearing traits. » More

Alcohol poisoning deaths are soaring in Massachusetts, and state health officials are pointing to a number of potential causes — from binge drinking to the sales tax exemption given to alcohol sold in stores. The number of deaths attributed to drinking fatal levels of alcohol jumped from just 18 in 2000 to 228 in 2008, a 12-fold increase that has pushed alcohol into the second spot ahead of cocaine overdoses, according to a report by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. » More

The holidays are an extremely difficult time for those people struggling with drug addiction and, even more so, those closest to the addicts. I would know because I was one of these individuals struggling with drug addiction. » More

Male Veterans More Prone to Substance Abuse -- Women serving in the U.S. military smoke, binge drink, and use illicit drugs less frequently than male servicemen, but are equally likely to abuse prescription drugs, HealthDay reported Nov. 11. » More

By Kerry Burke and Lukas I. Alpert, 
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Heavy-drinking hospital visits vary greatly by neighborhood, the survey found - with wealthy areas seeing the highest number of drunken emergency room trips. Heavy boozing has caused a shocking spike in drunken injuries and emergency room visits in New York, a troubling new study says. Nearly 74,000 people wound up in hospitals in 2009 for alcohol-related reasons, compared with just 22,000 in 2003 - a jump of nearly 250%, said the city Health Department study, which was released yesterday. » More