Holiday Drinking: How to Know When It's A Problem And Ways to Cut Back

‘Tis the season that emphasizes alcohol. From Thanksgiving toasts to Christmas cocktails, it’s impossible to deny the role drinking plays at this time of year.

So is it too Grinch-like to point out the health issues of holiday drinking? Turns out, there are some definite downsides to overdoing it.

However, like most things, defining how much booze is too much all depends on the individual.

“One size does not fit all,” says Ashley Loeb Blassingame, an addiction treatment expert, and co-founder of Lionrock, an online substance abuse counseling company. “Some people should never drink a drop of alcohol while others can engage in weekend binge drinking for periods of time with no consequences.”

Ultimately, the choice of how to think about holiday drinking depends entirely on your goals.

“When I coach people, I like to reverse engineer the plan,” she says. “I say: How do you want to feel during the holidays? (rested, tired, happy, depressed, productive, calm, chaotic, connected, isolated, etc.) and how does alcohol fit into your description—does it enhance or detract from how you want to feel?”

Ultimately, binge drinking by definition is drinking too much and it’s harmful to the brain and body, explains Gail Saltz, MD, associate professor of psychiatry at the New York Presbyterian Hospital Weill-Cornell School of Medicine and host of the How Can I Help? podcast on iHeartRadio.

“Being highly inebriated causes lack of judgment and coordination and therefore can be dangerous,” she says. “One can become unaware of what’s going on, which again is dangerous. Also, you can become addicted to alcohol when you binge drink semi-regularly. In fact, binge drinking can be considered a form of abusing alcohol. “

For all these reasons, experts urge you to keep your goals front of mind, especially during the holiday season when drinking can be ubiquitous.

“Ask yourself if the use of alcohol brings you closer to people or farther away,” Blassingame says. “If health, happiness, and connection with others is your goal, do you think alcohol helps to achieve that goal?”

If it doesn’t—and if reaching for that third glass of eggnog on Christmas Eve isn’t serving your needs—reset.

“When you feel like the alcohol is negatively impacting your quality of life, it’s a good time to explore a new relationship with it,” Blassingame says.

Michael McGee, MD, staff psychiatrist, California Department of State Hospitals, Atascadero, California and author of The Joy of Recovery: A Path to Freedom from Addiction says people drink over the holidays for a variety of reasons.

"One is that this is a cultural norm, to celebrate by drinking. It’s what people do, and it is socially sanctioned," Dr. McGee explains. "A second reason is that drinking feels good for most people, and binge drinking with a group of family and friends can be fun and very pleasurable. It is also true that some may drink to ease social anxiety in these gatherings."

There’s raising your glass to make a toast—and then there’s getting so drunk you can’t see straight. Here are four ways to better understand—and prevent—holiday binge drinking.

#1: Know your limits

Let’s be clear: Binge drinking is officially defined by the CDC as a pattern of drinking that brings a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 g/dl or above. This typically occurs when men drink five or more alcoholic beverages and when women drink four or more alcoholic beverages within two hours.

#2: Understand your reasons for binge drinking

Ask yourself this: Is an occasional binge something that happens once a year with your college friends and the consequences are a couple days of headaches before you return to your usual happy self?

“If you’re drinking when you have big feelings that you can’t seem to handle and drinking more is that only way to cope with those feelings, that’s something very different,” Blassingame says.

#3: Know the difference between enjoying alcohol and overdoing it

From an addiction or abuse standpoint, drinking a small to moderate amount of alcohol (one to three times per week) is generally not a problem, Dr. Saltz says. “If you’re just drinking one to three drinks on the three major holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s), that should be okay.”

#4: Be on the lookout for patterns

If once in a blue moon you get too tipsy because drinking got away from you, and you’re not repeating this habit often, you may not have a problem with alcohol, Dr. Saltz says. “If you’re binging whenever you go out for drinks—on most weekends or on any occasion when you drink—this is a pattern and a problem. Drinking until you’re falling down drunk is never a good idea.”

If you have a history of binge drinking which leaves you with regrets, Dr. McGee says one or more of the following strategies may helpful:

• Decide what you want. Do this by thinking through the consequences of binge drinking. How will you feel the next day? What would be the likely consequences if you didn’t binge drink? Get really clear on the consequences you want to have following a day or night of festivities. Now, get clear on whether you really want to binge drink and suffer the consequences.

• Ask yourself what it is you want from binge drinking. Is it to feel good? To feel less anxious? To feel more heartfully connected with friends and loved ones? What is it that you want to get from binge drinking? Now, brainstorm with yourself or others how you might be able to get those good things without binge drinking? How can you ease anxiety, for example? Perhaps by consciously focusing on others and attending to them. Can you make a decision to just go and enjoy other people and open your heart to them without alcohol?

• Make a decision about how much alcohol, if any, is good for you and that you want to drink. For some, one drink is too many. Is that you? If you make a decision you only want to have two drinks, can you really do that without losing control? Be honest with yourself. Have you controlled your drinking in the past? If so, how?

• If you decide to drink and have set a limit—say two drinks, for example, try these two strategies to help you stick to your limit. Nurse your drink very slowly so it lasts. Or, drink other nonalcoholic beverages between drinks.

• If you’re not going to drink alcohol, then plan to have a nonalcoholic drink in your hand at all times and sip on that. You’ll be less tempted to drink if you’re drinking nonalcoholic beverages.

• Select an accountabilibuddy to help you stick to your behavior goals. Announce your intentions for the night to a good friend, family member, sponsor, or mentor and agree on a reward they or you will give you if you follow through on your intentions.

• If you find yourself feeling tempted to cross your line, don’t keep it a secret! Excuse yourself and call your accountabilibuddy. Talk it out, focusing on the consequences that will likely happen if you stay within guidelines and if you binge drink. Talking it out takes the power out of the urge.

• Make an agreement with yourself ahead of time that if you feel you aren’t safe or comfortable that you will leave. Make an agreement with loved ones or friends that you will drive home or get an Uber if needed. Plan to leave the situation if you feel unsafe.

• Try medication. Taking naltrexone, 25-50 mg, may help curb the pleasure of drinking and reduce the urge to binge. This may be something to discuss ahead of time with your physician.

Ready to make some changes? Here are some links to get you started.

• Faces of Change. This 17-page illustrated booklet was produced by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA).

• For information on how to help a loved one, visit the National Institutes of Health page on the topic.

• If you aren't sure your drinking is a problem and want to gather more information, attend an open meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. Find a local chapter with the organization's locator tool.