Swimming with Crocodiles or Against the Grain

Swimming with Crocodiles: The Culture of Extreme Drinking

Author: Marjana Martinic

College students, and even high school students, are drinking more than in the past, they are doing it more often and they're doing it to get drunk. The result is more accidents, fatal ones, sexual assault, vandalism, riots, deaths, and lawsuits that inevitably follow. The term Extreme Drinking, or high risk drinking, has steadily emerged as a catchall phrase within the beverage industry, national institutes of health, and university and youth health services to try to define and understand these recent and dangerous trends among youth drinking habits.

Swimming with Crocodiles, the ninth volume in the ICAP Series on Alcohol in Society, explores the issues surrounding the extreme drinking culture across cultures. Drawing from a series of international focus groups conducted in 2005 in Brazil, Italy, Japan, Nigeria, Russia, South Africa, and the UK, this volume considers cross-cultural perspectives on extreme drinking, from historical perspectives and motivation tolessons learned. Particular attention is paid to the various roles of government, the beverage alcohol industry, social institutions, and public health organizations, and how each can take steps in policy and practice towards harm reduction. Best practices for intervention and prevention measures for education and harm reduction are discussed, as are the implications of existing policies and proposed steps to be taken in the future. As with other books in the ICAP series, the issues covered are relevant to those working within and with the beverage alcohol industry, with an emphasis on increasing awareness, developing new partnerships and moving toward shared responsibility.

Table of Contents:

Editors     ix
Contributors     xi
Disclaimer     xiii
Extreme Drinking   Marjana Martinic   Fiona Measham     1
A History of Intoxication: Changing Attitudes to Drunkenness and Excess in the United Kingdom   Fiona Measham     13
Beyond Boundaries: Youth and the Dream of the Extreme   Veronique Nahoum-Grappe     37
Case Study: Young People's Drinking in France   Marie Choquet     39
What Motivates Extreme Drinking?   Barbara Leigh   Christine Lee     53
Case Study: Drinking among Young People in the United Kingdom   Fiona Measham     67
Focus Group Results     79
Brazil   Monica Gorgulho   Vera Da Ros     84
China   Ian Newman     95
Italy   Enrico Tempesta     111
Nigeria   Olabisi Odejide   Olayinka Omigbodun   Ademola Ajuwon   Victor Makanjuola   Afolabi Bamgboye   Frederick Oshiname     120
Russia   Eugenia A. Koshkina     132
South Africa   Chan Makan     141
Scotland, United Kingdom   Steve March     148
Stakeholders and Their Roles   Mark Leverton   Keith Evans     161
Extreme Drinking, Young People, and Feasible Policy   Marjana Martinic   Barton Alexander     183
Case Study: Botellon in Spain   Andres Bascones Perez-Fragero     193
Feasible Interventions: Tackling Extreme Drinking in Young People   Monica Gorgulho   Daniya Tamendarova     219
Case Study: Drinking among Sorority and Fraternity Students in the United States   Jason Kilmer   Mary Larimer     228
Afterword   Marjana Martinic   Fiona Measham     261
Procedures for Focus Groups on Extreme Drinking     263
Guiding Questions for Focus Groups     265
Index     269

Book about: Getting Our Bodies Back or Fallproof

Against the Grain: 150 Good Carb Mediterranean Recipes

Author: Diane Kochilas

Healthy food doesn't have to be boring and bland. Look to the Mediterranean for innovative, fresh, and nutritious ideas. In Against the Grain, award-winning cookbook author Diane Kochilas offers up a collection of satisfying, good-for-you recipes inspired by the exotic dishes of the Mediterranean.

Whether you're trying to lose weight or simply improve you're eating habits, sticking to a good carb diet is a great idea. The Mediterranean diet isn't all breads, grains, and pasta -- it includes plenty of fish, chicken, lamb, vegetables, and fruits. Against the Grain includes recipes for everything from light bites, such as tapas, soups, and salads, to hearty entrees and sides. The ingredient lists are supermarket-friendly and prep time is minimal, so busy home cooks can whip up healthy meals in minutes, every night of the week.

In addition to classics like Fresh Tomato Soup with Moroccan Spices, Chicken Cacciatore, and Pan-Seared Shrimp with Romesco Sauce, there are innovative, exotic new dishes like Grilled Skewered Lamb with Mint and Garlic Pesto, Pork Medallions Marinated with Olives and Orange, and Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Soufflé.

One of the basic principles of the Mediterranean lifestyle is that everything should be enjoyed in moderation. In Against the Grain, no foods are forbidden or totally off limits. Instead, you'll find formerly "sinful" ingredients like rich cheeses, potatoes, rice, fragrant nuts and oils, and wine incorporated into savory meals. Yes, the recipes are healthy and nutritious, but, more important, the dishes in Against the Grain are hearty, satisfying, and flavorful.

Publishers Weekly

By combining weight-loss tenets of the South Beach Diet with the touted health benefits of the Mediterranean way of eating, Kochilas (Meze; The Glorious Foods of Greece) brings flavorful, nourishing, low-calorie foods to the dieter's home kitchen. The success of the collection's dishes lies in the use of whole grains rather than processed white flour, copious use of vegetables and a sensible "nothing-in-excess" approach. Kochilas advocates easygoing meals made with fresh, seasonal and organic ingredients, and encourages use of herbs and spices to add flavor without calories. She recommends generous use of heart-friendly and delicious olive oil, the "liquid gold" of the Mediterranean. Home cooks will easily master Kochilas's easy, precise recipes, which include Asparagus, Basil, and Tomato Frittata; Roasted Red Pepper Hummus; Balsamic-Honey Glazed Chicken Breasts; and Spicy Lamb Kebabs. Her combination of good-carb dieting with the richness of the Mediterranean table is bound to bring some much needed joie de vivre to low-carb dining. Agent, Doe Coover. (On sale Aug. 2) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Kochilas's last cookbook, Meze, covered the small dishes of Greece. Her latest was inspired by her experience on the Atkins and South Beach diets and draws on recipes from all over the Mediterranean, not just Greece. With recipes like Spanakopita Souffle, Andalusian Monkfish Soup, and Lamb Baked in Parchment Paper, this is certainly an inventive low-carb collection. Some of the author's fans, however, may find the concept somewhat gimmicky. Nevertheless, there is sure to be demand; for most libraries. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.