Alcohol is often a staple at many holiday gatherings and festivities. In many cases, it’s viewed as a way to increase holiday cheer.
However, their presence can be a challenge for those who create a healthy relationship with alcohol consumption.
“Some of us are under pressure from others because society puts a high bar on the inclusion of alcohol in celebrations,” said Leah Young, LCPC, clinical lead for the Eating Recovery Center and Pathlight Mood.
Others turn to alcohol to cope with confusing feelings of loneliness, sadness or anxiety for family members who are no longer alive or for those they dread watching the holidays.
“When people feel sad or anxious, they may find themselves drinking to ease their emotional pain,” Sarah Church, PhD, founder and executive direction of Wholeview Wellness Centers, told Healthline.
As you navigate all the gatherings you agreed to this holiday season, experts share tips for mindful drinking.
Rather than gulping down your drink, Church said pay attention to the way the drink tastes, how it smells, and what it looks like.
“Use all of your senses to notice the color, aroma, mouthfeel and taste of your drink,” he said.
For example, if you are having a glass of wine, pretend it is part of a tasting.
“You can swirl it in the glass, notice the aroma, watch to see if it has ‘legs’ as it moves back down the glass. Notice the color of the wine and when you take a sip, pay attention to the taste, see if you notice any particular flavors,” said Church.
This will also force you to slow down and give your body and mind time to register the effects of alcohol.
Alternate alcoholic beverages with water or other non-alcoholic beverages (NAs), such as juice, soda, or NA beer and wine to hydrate at your own pace.
“Take a moment to check in with yourself between drinks to see if you really want another one,” said Church. “The standard advice is to wait at least one hour between alcoholic drinks. This allows your body enough time to process the alcohol and helps prevent excessive consumption.”
Young noted that there are tactics to remain a component of the drinking tradition.
“If your dad creates a cocktail recipe every winter, challenge him to create a mocktail as well,” she said.
Instead of eating gigantic amounts of lower-quality beverages, Church opts for higher-quality beverages, such as higher-quality wine, premium spirits, or craft beer.
“Higher quality drinks have more nuanced flavours, which can be enjoyed slowly. But be aware of the alcohol content, some of those drinks may possibly have a higher alcohol content, so you need to keep that in mind when looking to stop drinking. countdown. to your intake. One craft beer can be equivalent to two popular drinks,” he said.
Rather than making alcohol the highlight of events, focus on engaging in meaningful conversations and enjoying activities at the party.
“Be the adult who laughs with the kids, organizes a game or activity so that the focus is on sitting around a table drinking or helping the host,” Young said.
Before going to an event, Church talked about what you can do besides drinking.
“Maybe you need to take pictures of other people at the event, or you need to make sure you introduce other people to each other,” she said. “If there’s live music, you can focus on the performers, or if there’s a DJ, you might need to dance. “
If you know you’re going to a social gathering where you’re going to drink, cutting back on your alcohol consumption a few days before and after the occasion can give your body a break. Saying “no” before and after the party day is also a smart strategy.
“If you restrict your alcohol consumption to the time you spend with others, you’re going to tend to drink less,” Church said.
Instead of sticking around for the entire celebration, Young arrives later, leaves early, or does both.
“If you can, let the host know early on that you probably won’t be able to stay long so there are no surprises when you leave,” she said. “If you have the resources, separate the occasions so that you have an escape direction and talk about this with the user you’re serving beforehand. “
While there, if you get overwhelmed, step outside for a break.
“If you can, bring a like-minded best friend with you or reach out to a friendly member of your family circle. It can be helpful to create baseball cues that your best friend can pay attention to so that he or she can “suddenly love you. ” another room,” Young said.
For outside assistance, he pleaded with her to ask a friend to send her funny videos every 30 minutes or to be “on call” to respond if she wants to attend the meeting.
If you have a tendency to drink at social gatherings and suddenly don’t anymore, other people will notice. While Young said you don’t want to announce your drinking intentions to anyone who doesn’t want to know, if you decide to do so, to calculate why you drink alcohol, he recommends preparing some answers for other people.
For example, depending on who asks you if you want a drink, you either say “No thanks” or order a comfortable drink.
“We have this funny concept that when you ask us, ‘Can I buy you a drink?’ we can only respond with a request for alcohol. Last time I checked, sparkling water is a drink, milk, juices, cocktails without “Alcohol, convenience drinks, still drinks, whatever, are all moderate answers to that question,” Young said.
Depending on how close you are to the person, you can give them more details, such as whether you don’t drink for reasons of intellectual fitness, physical fitness, or drug interactions.
“Some of us might decide to say, ‘I had a drinking problem, so I don’t drink,'” Young said. “I wouldn’t propose making up a lie to hide that I don’t drink; just percentage the fact that the user deserves. “
Staying ahead is the most productive approach, Church added.
“Say something like, ‘I’m going to keep it simple with drinks tonight,’ or ‘I’m trying to calm down tonight,’ I think I’m going to start with sparkling water,” he said.
If pressed on why he doesn’t drink and doesn’t need to give them more details, Church pleaded with him to seek to replace his concentrate by saying something like, “I’m feeling a little dehydrated tonight, so I’m going to start with some water. By the way, have you tried those appetizers?
You can also end their interest with a comment like, “I don’t need to communicate about this now. Let’s communicate about anything else. “
Our experts continually monitor the fitness and wellness space, and we update our articles as new data becomes available.
Current Version
December 5, 2023
Written by
Cathy Cassata
Edited By
Jase Peeples
Fact Checked By
Jennifer Chesak
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