According to USA Today, a video game in development for the Wii console is causing some controversy. The game is called “Beer Pong” and it mimics a college drinking game growing in popularity. The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) gave the game a T-Rating, saying it was suitable for those aged 13 and up. According to the article, the game’s creators are now removing references to alcohol and changing its name to “Pong Toss.”

Connecticut’s Attorney General, Richard Blumenthal raised concerns about the inappropriate rating for the game’s original content and marketing alcohol to teenagers. In a special interview, Fox News spoke with Blumenthal and a representative from the game’s developer, JV Games. It’s interesting to see the different viewpoints side by side and to see how receptive JV Games was toward changing the game’s content.

Should game developers make games with significant drug and/or alcohol content? How do you think the ESRB should treat games with drug and alcohol content?

There are lots of obvious reasons why adults shouldn’t buy alcohol for teenagers. Drinking damages the developing brains and growing bodies of America’s youth. Alcohol takes away their sense of judgment – it can lead them to making more poor decisions. Theft, damages, and other crimes committed by young adults are often the result of alcoholism. In other cases, the effects of alcohol can be so intense that many teens don’t even live to get the chance to go into rehab.

Unfortunately, those reasons alone aren’t enough to stop some adults from giving teenagers access to alcohol. A Washington Post story informs us that a young, nineteen year old woman was able to stand outside of a convenience store and ask others to purchase alcohol for her. Shockingly enough, people really did buy the alcohol for her, even though she was clearly underage.

The people who bought into her scheme were in for a real surprise – she was reported to be working undercover for the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office. All of the offenders were arrested for their illegal actions.

It’s sad that it takes measures like these to insure our communities stop giving teenagers and young adults who are underage access to alcohol. With any luck, these tactics will serve as a wake-up call for communities everywhere.

Like any other commercial beverage, alcohol is available in countless types and varieties. It’s only fitting that alcohol has just as many street names. Whether it be beer, wine, gin or whiskey, it’s likely that on the street people call it by another, more familiar, name. Some of these street names include: booze, brew, hooch, and hard stuff.

There are some types of alcohol that are more common on the streets than in stores. For example, Jello Shots are gelatin laced with alcohol. Everclear is a drink with very high amounts of alcohol. It’s popular for Everclear to be injected into a whole watermelon and then dished out.

Some of the street names can be a bit confusing. Alcoholic beverages can sometimes be called juice, sauce or cold one. It would be easy to make a mistake with names like that. An awareness of alcohol’s street names is helpful in avoiding awkward situations. When someone offers you a “cold one”, you’ll know they’re offering you alcohol and not a glass of milk. Familiarity with these names will empower you to make informed decisions.

Alcoholics put their bodies at risk to develop all kinds of life-threatening diseases. Heavy drinking directly damages the key organs and parts of the body – the heart, liver and brain.

The heart regulates blood flow throughout the body. People cannot live without a properly functioning heart. The Women’s Heart Foundation reports that drinking heavily poisons the heart. The diseases related to the heart that can develop as a result of alcoholism mentioned are: “high blood pressure, alcoholic cardiomyopathy (enlarged and weakened heart), congestive heart failure, and stroke.” Women also have to beware of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome – a disease that causes birth defects in children.

Equally important in the human body is the liver. It acts like a filter, straining out all the bad stuff that has entered the body. When someone drinks a lot of alcohol, the liver overloads and cannot function properly. The American Liver Foundation has information about Fatty Liver, Alcoholic Hepatitis, and Alcoholic Cirrhosis. These are several kinds of liver problems and diseases that you can get from being an alcoholic.

Smart choices are harder without brain power. Alcohol is known to cause brain damage, brain shrinkage, and even limited brain functionality. Alcoholics are also susceptible to Korsakoff’s Syndrome. According to the American Medical Association, for teens and young adults (even those of college age), alcohol has an increased negative effect on their bodies, and increased risks of brain damage.

This isn’t even a comprehensive list of all the health risks that come with being an alcoholic. There are several psychological conditions that can be made worse by alcohol. Some types of cancer are linked to alcoholism, as well. We learn more about how alcohol affects people through the latest scientific studies. Bottom Line: Alcoholism truly is hazardous to your health.

The latest in the Grand Theft Auto series shook the entertainment industry last week with record shattering sales. The game sold over 6 million units, and it pulled in more money during its first week release than the highest box-office opening to date. It’s no surprise that the game’s release is controversial – every GTA release rubs someone the wrong way with its graphic, crude content. With this particular game there’s a feature giving you, the gamer, the choice to drive drunk. The game’s creators said, “. . . we believe the mature audience for ‘Grand Theft Auto IV’ is more than sophisticated enough to understand the game’s content.” MADD released a statement saying, “Drunk driving is not a game, and it is not a joke.”

Even if the game really were only played by adults aged 18 and over, is it sophisticated or disrespectful? Is it just a game that quenches an adult’s entertainment needs? Or do such games trivialize the consequences of poor decision making?

Most people have already heard the traditional speech about how drinking at a young age is a terrible decision. In drug and alcohol prevention talks, everyone mentions that teens are in their mental and physical developing years. Studies have shown that alcohol is not good for growing bodies. Yet, surprisingly enough, there’s still more to discover about how alcohol can dramatically change a young person’s life. Reuters recently reported on one of these new findings: Early exposure to alcohol may lead to heavy drinking later in life.

The lab study was performed with teenage rats. According to the study, it only took three exposures to alcohol at an adolescent age for the rats to build up a liking for the drink. The rats that were given the most to drink in the beginning went on to become the heavy drinkers.

It’s interesting to note that the study didn’t just test the rodents on their behavior towards alcohol. The scientists also tested the rats to see how they respond to stress and to also determine their “novelty-seeking behavior” level. Surprisingly, rats who liked to try new things weren’t necessarily the ones who became heavy drinkers. According to the tests, stress and a desire for excitement did not correspond with drinking choices and behaviors. One scientist involved with the study said, “This suggests that there are other characteristics that we as scientists should be looking for, that are related to the early experiences of drinking.”

What could those other characteristics be? The future insights will be fascinating to know, and hopefully they will also lead us to additional methods to help impede teen alcoholism.

Alcoholism is a complex, genetically influenced disorder. The way a person’s genetics affect their alcoholic tendencies is still unclear to scientists. But they do know that a person’s genetic makeup does play a large role. What is believed currently is that there is not one certain gene that is to blame. Most likely there are several of these genes. Individually they do not make much of an impact but combined they do. Genes affect both the intake and dependence while others affect only dependence.

Studies have shown that adopted children of alcoholic biological parents have an increased risk of becoming alcoholics. But there are other contributing factors towards alcoholism. The 5 most major influences are peer pressure, cultural influence, certain coexisting psychiatric conditions, availability and occupation.

Alcohol affects the body in many ways and even drinking in moderation can be harmful to your health. Alcohol is classified as a depressant because it slows down the nervous system, leading to a decrease in motor coordination, reaction time and intellectual performance. Once ingested, alcohol goes into the stomach. About 20% of it is absorbed into the bloodstream and the rest moves through the gastrointestinal tract and gets absorbed by the small intestine. The part that is left in the stomach causes irritation and can lead to vomiting.

Once the alcohol enters the bloodstream, it affects every organ. Blood pressure can rise and drinking regularly can contribute to coronary heart disease. When alcohol reaches the brain, the depressant nature of it impairs the nervous system and impairs judgement and coordination. Alcohol can cause many things to happen to the liver. "Fatty liver" often occurs in people and this is the first stage of alcoholic liver disease. Cirrhosis occurs and hepatitis–all from alcohol consumption.