Drinking During the Holidays: Avoid the Problem or Face It Head-On?

The holidays represent a fascinating time in our culture when families come together and celebrate. However, around this time of year, from November to early January, there is an increase in alcohol consumption. This increase stems from more parties being held, a lackadaisical attitude towards holiday consumption, and high spirits. With this increase in drinking comes consequences for both the average joe and the person with alcohol use disorder (AUD).

When celebrating with your family and friends, look to your left and to your right. Does this person struggle with moderation? Perhaps not outside the holidays, but come this time of year, they might be putting back two more drinks than usual. For the average drinker, safety while under the influence is their main concern. Don’t drink and drive. Don’t fight with friends or family. Don’t be a jerk. For you, however, drinking in itself is a problem. Once you start drinking, you cannot stop. Everything we said for the average joe then applies to you and more.

How, then, do you approach drinking during the holidays? Are you in recovery from alcoholism? Do you no longer drink or want to be able to moderate successfully? Can you face the problem head-on or avoid it? Staying away from alcohol during the holiday season is no easy feat, but it is worth it for your long-term sobriety.

People Drink More During the Holidays

Let it be said that people drink more during the holidays. Not less. More. Why, though, do people drink more during the holidays? Alcohol consumption is greater during the holiday season because more people are socializing. With family and friends home for the holidays, you might see yourself attending several social functions throughout the next few weeks or months. Seeing beloved family and maybe even those not seen in a while, drinking becomes a way to celebrate.

OnePoll conducted a survey investigating drinking habits during the holidays. They found from 2,000 people surveyed that the average person drinks four times throughout the week on a regular basis. However, during the holidays, from Thanksgiving to New Year, that number escalates to eight times per week. Similarly, the average person attended three or more social functions or parties during the holiday season. Before the season even hit, 69% said, come this time of year, they are more likely to socialize.

Alongside this increase in consumption, naturally, an increase in spending follows. The same survey estimated that spending due to socializing increases on average from $241 a month to $537 a month. For someone who is powerless over alcohol and unable to manage their life while under its influence, this increase in monthly expenses is on par with regularly sustaining their addiction.

Holiday Binge Drinking: Is It a Problem?

How much is too much during the holidays? One drink is too much if you want to stay sober. To admit your struggle with alcoholism is to accept that you are powerless over it and that you are unable to manage your life while under its influence. For the average joe, however, this is not a problem. Whereas they enjoy the holidays without the spirit of alcohol, you do not. The holidays prove a lousy excuse for you to binge drink. Is it a problem?

What Does It Mean to Binge Drink?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes binge drinking as “the most common, costly, and deadly pattern of excessive alcohol use in the United States.” The scientific definition of binge drinking is “a pattern of drinking that brings a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08g/dl or above.” For your BAC to exceed 0.08g/dl, typically, men need to consume five drinks or more and women four drinks or more over the span of two hours.

What Demographic of People Typically Binge Drink?

The age range of 18- to 34-year-old adults is when binge drinking is most common; however, “more than half of the total binge drinks are consumed by those aged 35 or older.” Men are twice as likely to partake in binge drinking than women, and households with incomes higher than $75,000, as well as higher educations, are more likely to binge drink.

What Risks Does Binge Drinking Pose?

Binge drinking poses new health concerns for individuals who regularly partake in it. One such concern, which is also relevant to holiday drinking, is the increase in car crashes. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), during the holiday season, from Thanksgiving till the New Year, it is estimated 25,000 people are injured due to alcohol-related crashes. Additionally, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA), New Year’s day is the deadliest day for alcohol-related crashes. Approximately 58% of crashes during this day are related to driving while intoxicated.

Additional risks of binge drinking, as reported by the CDC, include:

• Unintentional falls, burns, and alcohol poisoning
• Violence including homicide, suicide, intimate partner violence, and sexual assault
• Sexually transmitted diseases
• Unintended pregnancy and poor pregnancy outcomes, including miscarriage and stillbirth
• Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
• Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
• Chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, and liver disease
• Cancer of the breast, mouth, throat, esophagus, liver, and colon
• Memory and learning problems
• Alcohol use disorders

For those who choose to drink during the holidays, be wary and understand the risks associated with celebrating in excess. Take note that if you take part in the increase of alcohol consumption that the average joe takes part in during the holidays, you risk developing early symptoms of AUD. Continuing to abuse alcohol even after the holidays have come and passed brings the potential for developing a dependence on alcohol and even addiction. Binge drinking during the holidays poses a serious concern to both persons who suffer from alcoholism and those who do not.

Succeeding in Early Recovery Over the Holiday Season

Early recovery is the period when you first stop drinking. It ranges anywhere between the first three months to the first year and after. The early recovery phase of your sobriety is when you are at the most significant risk of relapse. This risk is heightened due to your body and brain adjusting to a life without alcohol.

Due to alcohol’s effects as a depressant, your mood will take time to stabilize. During this adjustment period, cravings and triggers are ever-present threats. Like a roller coaster, early recovery presents both frequent highs and lows. The hazy effects of brain fog begin to clear, and you experience the “pink cloud” effect. You feel like your life is changing for the better. Still, be cautious.

The holiday season is a season of spirits. More drinking occurs, which means a more significant threat of relapse for the man or woman in early recovery for alcoholism. With greater socialization, you will be around alcohol consumption more, and you might feel the triggers and cravings. These impulsive thoughts can make you feel uncomfortable, further leading you to want to curb that stress with alcohol intoxication.

How Can You Prevent Relapse During the Holiday Season if You Are in Early Recovery?

Preventing relapse during the holiday season while in early recovery requires multiple lines of defense. Who you spend your holidays with matters. In early recovery, you identify different types of support systems in your life:

• Family and friends
• Professional help
• Support groups

#1. Family and Friends

If you celebrate the holidays with family and friends, be sure that they are fully aware of your condition. Family and friends who understand and accommodate your struggle with AUD act as a potent form of support during the holiday season. For example, if they limit or nullify their alcohol consumption during your visit, understand they are willing to consider your triggers and cravings.

Part of early recovery is identifying which family and friends are positive influences when treating your addiction. If part of the reason why you struggle with addiction in the first place is because of certain friend groups or family, then manage your contact with them to give yourself the best fighting chance during early recovery.

#2. Professional Help

Professional help comprises your primary care physician, addiction treatment specialists, counselors, therapists, and psychologists. If you feel the need to talk to one or multiple of these types of professional help during the holiday season, do so. You are not alone. Thanksgiving through the New Year proves to be an obstacle for many in their physical and mental health journeys. Professionals provide helpful insight into what you might be able to do to curb cravings and triggers during the holidays.

#3. Support Groups

Support groups for AUD include:

• Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
• SMART Recovery
• LifeRing Secular Recovery
• Moderation Management (MM)
• alcohol rehab services

Unlike the support you get through friends, family, or professional help, alcoholism support groups consist of individuals who have experienced much of the same difficulties as you. AA is the most well-known of these support groups due to its longevity and proven to work 12-Step process. In early recovery, attending support groups provides you with a unique perspective on how others have stayed sober during the holidays.

If you plan to quit drinking or recently gave up drinking, consider taking the 90-day challenge often advocated by AA and other support groups. The 90-day challenge refers to you attending 90 meetings in 90 days. By attending one meeting per day, you cement yourself a routine during the most volatile time of your recovery. Additionally, you can view attending one meeting per day as a substitute for drinking. In this time, you expose yourself to clear, consistent guidance from senior members of recovery groups as well as immerse yourself in the larger recovery community.

Family, friends, professional help, and support groups all offer valuable resources and tools for you during your early recovery period. The holidays prove a dangerous time for relapse for men and women suffering from AUD. Get as much help as you can in order to avoid the grips of the disease.

Community is essential to the recovery process. Community means having a support system, and a support system includes those reliable people you confide in when recovery gets difficult. Community also includes people outside of your recovery support system — those you go through daily life with, such as coworkers, family, and friends. Although they may not be active parts of the step-by-step recovery process, they play a crucial part in showing you how to live life happily without the influence of addiction. At Real Recovery Sober Living, we take it a step further.

Community is a requirement for the recovery process. Our facilities make this possible by creating avenues for you to get involved. We celebrate your sobriety with events and gatherings, where you establish new lifelong friendships focused on recovery. To be successful in addiction recovery, we believe that you need to be in the right mindset. For more information, call (727) 290-9156.