<unk>  is considered harmful, regardless of a person's age, and there have been calls for healthcare professionals to give increased attention to their patients’<unk>  habits, especially<unk> . Some researchers believe that raising the legal<unk>  age and screening brief interventions by healthcare providers are the most effective means of reducing morbidity and mortality rates associated with<unk> . Programs in the United States have thought of numerous ways to help prevent<unk> . The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests increasing the cost of alcohol or the excise taxes, restricting the number of stores who may obtain a license to sell liquor (reducing "outlet density"), and implementing stricter law enforcement of underage<unk>  laws. There are also a number of individual counseling approaches, such as motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral approaches, that have been shown to reduce<unk>  among heavy<unk>  college students. In 2006, the Wisconsin Initiative to Promote Healthy Lifestyles implemented a program that helps primary care physicians identify and address<unk>  problems in patients. In August 2008, a group of college presidents calling itself the Amethyst Initiative asserted that lowering the legal<unk>  age to 18 (presumably) was one way to curb the "culture of dangerous<unk> " among college students. This idea is currently the subject of controversy. Proponents argue that the 21 law forces<unk>  underground and makes it more dangerous than it has to be, while opponents have claimed that lowering the age would only make the situation worse. Despite health warnings, most Australian women drink at least one night a week. But experts are warning they are not only damaging their bodies but are also at risk of attracting sexual predators. Reduction Research shows ways to reduce<unk>  or engage in dangerous<unk> . Some computer-based intervention appear to reduce<unk> , an example of which is "rethinking<unk> ". Understanding consumer personality and how people view others is important. People were shown ads talking of the harmful effects of<unk> . People who valued close friends as a sense of who they are, were less likely to want to<unk>  drink after seeing an ad featuring them and a close friend. People who were loners or who did not see close friends important to their sense of who they were reacted better to ads featuring an individual. A similar pattern was shown for ads showing a person driving at dangerous speeds. This suggests ads showing potential harm to citizens from<unk>  or dangerous driving are less effective than ads highlighting a person's close friends. In 2009 the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing spent $53.5 million Australian Dollars on National<unk>  Strategy to target young Australians. This campaign titled "Don't Turn a Night Out Into a Nightmare" was delivered to the public over many mass media platforms to show the harms and consequences of risky single occasion<unk>  (RSOD) as<unk>  is defined in Australia. Evidence as to the effectiveness of these types of campaigns is mixed. Research needs to be completed to ensure that the effectiveness of the messages are resulting in a positive shift in the behaviours of the target audience.
Binge drinking
Rubbing alcohol
Binge eating
Alcoholism
Abuse during childbirth
Alcohol dependence
Western pattern diet
Sedentary lifestyle