AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — The holidays are a time of getting together with family and friends and celebrating the joys of the season, which can also open the door for excessive alcohol consumption.
“Those gatherings you know can feature alcohol is one of the centerpieces of the activity,” said Rodney Young, M.D., Regional Chair of Family & Community Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine. “So, before you know it, even people who don’t regularly drink alcohol tend to drink more this time of year than they do at other times of the year.”
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For people struggling with alcohol addiction, this time of year can be especially tough. Dr. Young says the best way to navigate the holidays is to plan ahead.
“Plan and set limits. Trying very hard to avoid those first drinks, because it’s very easy to get carried away when you’re in a circumstance where the alcohol is flowing freely and people are having a good time,” Dr. Young said.
Drinking a mocktail, a drink that looks like an alcoholic beverage but isn’t, according to Dr. Young, is another good strategy to navigate alcohol consumption during the season. Another good idea is spacing out alcoholic beverages.
“Every time you have an alcoholic beverage, follow it with a non-alcoholic beverage. A lot of these parties also have hors d’oeuvres or food of other sorts, and that can be very helpful, like drinking water before you get there, so you just don’t have as much thirst to start with,” Dr. Young explained.