Starting at about middle school, we are all taught the do's and dont's of drinking. From drinking on an empty stomach to mixing depressants and alcohol, our teachers and parents raise us in hopes that they have taught us the very best. They hope and pray that we go on to college with the ability to make responsible decisions and that we have developed risk management skills. While all parents seem to share this belief, teenagers and college students may push the "alcohol safety" lecture aside.

Researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder just released a new study that could reinforce young adult's disregard of alcohol safety in relation to the body. In this study, researchers found that physical activity can maintain the health of blood vessels in the brain by combating common issues such as high cholesterol and blood pressure. This probably is not any new news to you.

The real breakthrough of the study was this: exercise was found to protect the area of white matter (referred to as myelin) that contains nerves which communicates with neurons. Therefore, when an individual consumes alcohol for a prolonged amount of time (AKA most college students) deterioration of this myelin is significantly reduced because of the exercise that the individual partakes in.

Of course, this study did not by any means say that exercise is an excuse to consume a ridiculous amount of alcohol (because, of course that is not in any individual's best interest). Additionally, the exercise that must be done is aerobic exercise that burns calories and causes you to break a sweat.