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Video Call Etiquette You may have seen tons of articles on how to participate in a Zoom Meeting, Google Hangouts meetup, or another type of video call for work, but what about when you’re just hanging out with friends and family? As much as you would like to believe your friends and family wouldn’t be bothered by video chat etiquette mistakes, certain things can really hinder the call quality – and since this is the best opportunity to spend time with your friends, we wanted to show you how to make the most of it! Mute yourself when you’re not...

This past week took a sudden turn as a family member was rushed to hospital feeling faint and having had an “upset stomach” for several weeks. A CT scan at the hospital revealed an inflamed liver. Blood work and a biopsy confirmed that the cause was Autoimmune Hepatitis. Most people assume that liver disease is a result of heavy drinking or drug use and this can be the case but isn’t necessarily so. There are over 100 known forms of liver disease caused by a variety of factors affecting everyone from infants to older adults. The Canadian Liver Foundation (CLF)...

St. Patrick's Day celebrates the Roman Catholic feast day for the patron saint of Ireland who died March 17, 461. The strange thing is St. Patrick wasn't Irish and his name wasn't Patrick. St. Patrick was born in Roman Britain in the 5th century with the birth name of Maewyn. At this time the influence of Rome was in its final hours and Britain was left to fend for itself against Saxons, Picts, and the Scoti of Ireland. St. Patrick was kidnapped at age 16 by Irish pirates and forced into slavery in Ireland. He later escaped to a monastery...

You’ve probably seen this warning on medicines you’ve taken. The danger is real. Mixing alcohol with certain medications can cause nausea and vomiting, headaches, drowsiness, fainting, or loss of coordination. It also can put you at risk for internal bleeding, heart problems, and difficulties in breathing. In addition to these dangers, alcohol can make a medication less effective or even useless, or it may make the medication harmful or toxic to your body. It's important to remember these effects when combining over-the-counter medication and alcohol. Common ingredients in cold & flu medications can cause drowsiness, dizziness, bleeding and ulcers, liver...

Look, I get it. I really do. Lots of people find alcohol-free beer and wine laughable, some find the very concept offensive. What I don’t get is why. And, as importantly, why they feel the need to be so vocal about it. In the 10 years I’ve been running The Alcohol-Free Shop I’ve heard and read it all. ‘What’s the point? Just drink water!’ ‘Alcohol-free? I’d rather have free alcohol!’ ‘It’s like kissing your sister, it tastes the same but it’s wrong’ (and that’s the polite version of that particular one). Every time an article is published about alcohol-free drinks,...