Article by Aoibhínn Connolly

The holiday season is upon us, and with it comes festive gatherings and the clinking of glasses. With a lot of us desperate to unwind from work, the idea of a boozy month can sound appealing - but it’s easy to overindulge. Peer pressure combined with increased socialising makes it hard to turn down that extra drink and good intentions can go out the window.

Hangovers

Although a couple of extra drinks may seem harmless, the physical and mental hangover is not. December can be an overwhelming and anxiety inducing time - and indulging in excess alcohol can exacerbate this anxiety.

While we know hangovers can leave us with headaches, nausea and dehydration, the emotional impact they have is less often discussed. Alcohol artificially stimulates your brain’s reward centre by releasing dopamine. A hangover is essentially the dopamine depletion of ‘coming down’ after drinking.

In the long term, dopamine depletion is associated with everything from lack of concentration to insomnia. Alcohol also disrupts your sleep, preventing your brain entering the deep, restorative levels of your sleep cycle, so you will be left feeling tired the next day, even if you didn’t go to bed late.

So how can we avoid this and drink mindfully this year? We’re bringing you our top 5 tips on rethinking how you drink.

Know Your Limits

Understanding your personal limits is important for maintaining a healthy balance.

Listen to your body, be aware of how alcohol affects you, and don't hesitate to decline additional drinks if you feel it's necessary.

Respect your own boundaries and communicate them to those around you.

It can also be beneficial to communicate your personal boundaries regarding alcohol to friends. This way, when you decline an additional drink, it won't be met with a persuasive "come on, just one more!"

Plan Ahead

Are you going to drink? Are you not going to drink? Maybe just a glass of wine?

For many, ”‘just one” can turn into “one too many”.

Planning ahead can bring mindfulness to your drinking experience much easier.

With greater intention on how much you plan to drink, you may find you’re more inclined to space out your drinks and become more aware of how much you’re drinking.

The key is to prevent drinking so much that you forget about the goal you set for yourself.

Sip Slowly

Taking your time to sip your holiday drinks isn't just about making them last longer—it's a smart way to enjoy the flavours and avoid getting too tipsy too quickly.

When you savour each sip, you get to truly enjoy the festive goodness in your drink.

Plus, it helps you stay more in control because the faster you drink, the faster the effects kick in, and you might end up wanting more drinks than you actually need.

So, slow down, enjoy the moment, and make your holiday celebration even more enjoyable.

Bring Something Non-Alcoholic

Having a non-alcoholic option is a great way to stay sober, or even alternate between alcoholic drinks.

The options here are endless; non-alcoholic beer or wine, kombucha, mocktails, apple cider or even hot chocolate.

At a lot of festive parties, alcoholic drinks are the only option, so over-indulging can become very easy. But if you have a substitute, it gives you another option.

You can even present it as a gift for the host, setting the stage for others to join in and enjoy the non-alcoholic alternative.

Have Someone to Hold You Accountable

Let your friends and family know about your decision to stick to a couple of drinks.

Having a support system is crucial, and having someone with you who is aware of your intentions can help to keep you from being swayed.

You may even find that others appreciate the idea of a more mindful celebration.

This holiday season, let's toast to mindful celebrations that honour the essence of the festivities without compromising our well-being. Drinking more moderately is not a short-term goal; it takes time to adopt a brand new attitude toward alcohol. While alcohol can be consumed with good intentions, it's also nice to have clear memories of these times and steer away from the ongoing holiday hangover.

This blog post was written by Aoibhínn Connolly. Aoibhínn is a Registered Associate Nutritionist (ANutr) with the Association for Nutrition and has a first class degree in Honours Nutrition.

Navigating the Holiday Spirits - Drinking Mindfully This Festive Season