Excessive drinking can cause potentially fatal conditions, not only high blood pressure, but also damage to the brain, heart or liver; diabetes and stroke.

Alcohol may have some health benefits, including lowering the risk for heart disease, but it may also lead to abusive drinking and other diseases.

It helps to understand why and when you drink if you are going to successfully reduce the amount of alcohol you consume.

No matter what your age, or how long you have smoked, giving up cigarettes is the ticket to a longer life. Find out more about the benefits of quitting by taking this quiz.

As you probably already know, quitting smoking isn't easy. But, millions of other people have done it, and you can, too.

When people consider the cost of smoking, they usually focus on the cost of the cigarettes alone. But that's only the first step.

“Quitting smoking was just about the toughest thing I’ve ever done,” says S. Epatha Merkerson. “But the struggle was certainly worth it."

There's evidence that people who respond rigidly to anger-provoking events are likely to wind up with significantly elevated levels of heart-damaging cholesterol.

Mental stress does more than diminish your sense of well-being. It also can increase your risk for heart disease.

No one can avoid all stress -- and a certain amount actually is good for you. But it's always best to keep unhealthy levels in check when possible.

During stressful times, your body produces various chemicals, including cortisol, an immune-suppressing hormone. The more cortisol produced, the weaker your immune cells become and the more susceptible you are to illness.