Being Smart About Alcohol During The Holidays
By Jonathan Dickman, MD, PhD
Although it may be hard to believe, the holiday season is here! During this time of the year, many people travel and get together with family and friends. Alcohol is a common beverage offered during these gatherings and there can be a feeling that this is something that is normally consumed when getting together with others. When watching football on television the commercials make alcoholic beverages seem to always make good times better without consequences. Unfortunately, this is not true as health and social problems from alcohol consumption resulted in an economic burden of over $249 billion in the United States in 2010. Thus, while alcohol can be safely consumed by many adults, caution should be taken when drinking this beverage.
When you decide to have alcohol, be mindful of how many drinks you have in a sitting. Too many drinks can have health consequences. How much is too much? According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), people should avoid having more than three alcoholic drinks for women or individuals over 65 years old or four drinks for men. In a week, women and older individuals should have no more than seven alcoholic drinks and men should have no more than fourteen drinks. People who are under 21 years old or who are pregnant should avoid alcohol entirely. Drinking more than these limits is considered heavy or unhealthy alcohol consumption and place people at risk for multiple problems including alcohol poisoning, injuries, motor vehicle accidents and problematic social situations.
Long-term, heavy alcohol use has numerous health risks including liver, stomach, bowel, heart and brain damage. If you decide to drink alcohol, avoid heavy alcohol use to reduce the chance of having significant health and social related problems.
Many patients ask me if having one drink most days of the week is safe. While this is not considered heavy alcohol consumption, people should be aware that drinking any alcohol still has adverse health effects. People who drink alcohol in this way experience weight gain (as alcohol contains many calories), increase in their blood pressure, more heart rhythm problems and poor sleep quality. In addition, many alcoholic beverages now have THC added so you need to be extra careful in determining what is in a drink offered by a friend or family member. When people stop drinking alcohol, they will often notice weight loss and feel less tired as their sleep quality improves. Whenever you choose to drink alcohol, please weigh the risks and benefits of having that beverage.
There are no clear health disadvantages from avoiding alcohol. Despite what you may hear on social media, there is no conclusive evidence that regular alcohol consumption improves health. Although having a drink in your hand may feel almost obligatory in some social settings, you can still avoid alcohol with “NA” (non-alcoholic) beers or drinks that have become more popular. These drinks can give you the taste and appearance of a beer without the problems associated with alcohol. If you want to stop drinking alcohol and find yourself having a difficult time accomplishing this goal, talk to your doctor about what options may be available to help. This could include medication, therapy or other medical interventions to help you quit. Your doctor will never force you to do anything but rather will simply explore opportunities available to help you.
This holiday season be careful when you have alcohol. Although for many people alcohol does not need to be avoided entirely, be aware that there are health and social consequences when having a drink. The problems created by alcohol can be minimized by limiting how much you drink. If you, or someone you know, struggles with alcohol use, remember that doctors can help. Our goal is to keep you safe this holiday season and get 2025 started right!
Dr. Dickman is a physician at Allina Health United Family Physicians, 233 Grand Ave, St. Paul, 55102, 651-241-5200
