Drinking

EVEN five minutes of straight talk from a physician can reduce alcohol-related injuries and accidents among problem drinking patients, a new study reports. In the review of 21 separate clinical trials, researchers at Newcastle University in England and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine found that brief interventions by a physician reduced alcohol consumption by an average of four drinks a week.

As I sat in my car early Sunday morning in a predominantly Latino neighborhood waiting for a friend to come home, I observed a man arrive at the residence across the street. He walked alongside the house and tapped on a window. Moments later a young woman emerged. For no apparent reason, the man became hostile towards her. It soon became clear that he was intoxicated, expending the final effects of his alcoholic binge from the previous night. I wondered from what drinking hole the misguided man stumbled out from.

Heavy drinkers may have a higher risk of stroke than those who drink moderately or not at all. A study led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Harvard School of Public Health found that middle-aged and older men who consume more than two drinks a day over several years are more likely than nondrinkers to have an ischemic stroke, while those who drink moderately have the same or a slightly lower risk than teetotalers.

Every school year, more teenagers inevitably experiment with alcohol. They watch NFL games on television, see the numerous beer commercials and decide to join the fun. They go to parties and face peer pressure to drink. They attend sporting events, see people drinking, and feel encouraged to fit in. There are coaches who believe it's not their business to monitor the private lives of students just as long as what they're doing is not connected to a school function.

The scourge of underage alcohol abuse has again laid waste to human life, and forever changed the future for at least four Orange County families ("4th Katella Student Dies After Desert Car Crash," July 31). While wishing to convey only the most sincere condolences to all of the families involved, I must note there seems to be an alarming lack of willingness to place the blame for this tragedy. This was not an act of God, nor a twist of fate. It was, simply put, a car full of teen-agers drinking and driving.

A Woman Like You: Life Stories of Women Recovering From Alcoholism and Addiction by Rachel V. (Harper & Row: $15.95). Nineteen women, recovering from alcoholism, contribute candid testimonials to this thoughtful anthology. Each explores onsetting causes and the progression of events, until she reaches her eventual Alcoholics Anonymous-assisted cure. For all their widely divergent backgrounds and experiences, each woman reveals some primal hurt or trauma. Gail R.

Texas Rangers outfielder and recovering drug addict Josh Hamilton said Friday that he had a relapse that started with "three or four" drinks at a Dallas-area bar this week, apologizing for a "weak moment" and insisting he will try to make sure it doesn't happen again. The 30-year-old Hamilton said his actions "are mine that hurt a lot of people very close to me. " Hamilton was suspended for more than three years for drug and alcohol use while in the Tampa Bay organization.

I have never encountered a woman writer who devoted more than a few sentences to expressing respect and admiration for the amount of alcohol a man could consume without making a fool of himself. But men who write, whether they themselves drink or not, seem to be impressed by an excess, which in reality clearly has the most tragic effects. The habitual use of liquor is annually responsible for suffering many times greater than that occasioned by AIDS.

It appears social drinkers on both coasts imbibe less alcohol than people in the Midwest or the South. Social Climes asked catering managers at Hilton hotels in 12 cities how much alcohol per capita they would order for a typical event, a black-tie gala with a cocktail reception and dinner. Some managers change the amount of alcohol they plan according to the nature of the group holding the event. * Beverly Hills. 3 drinks per person. * Chicago: 5. * Cincinnati: 4 to 5. * Honolulu: 3.