ADANTA - Holiday Celebrations - Knowing Your Limits
By Tracie R . Horton , CEO / Executive Director The Adanta Group
Holiday parties and get-togethers can be a welcome escape from the stress of the holiday season , but if shopping , cooking and other tasks have you reaching for too much holiday cheer , it can spell trouble . Many of us look forward to these celebratory occasions , yet it is also a time when some people are more likely to drink beyond their limits when compared to other times of the year . Turns out the holiday season is when many people double the amount of alcohol they consume , especially between Thanksgiving and New Year ’ s . For many , holidays are a time of loneliness and stress ; not everyone enjoys mingling at work parties and having old friends and seldom seem relatives under the same roof can lead to embarrassing situations . Financial and economic difficulties are a real problem when there is pressure to buy something to celebrate the occasion while still struggling to pay bills . In this context , it can be hard not to want to drown your sorrows in alcohol .
Thus , the holidays can lead to some very bad decisions including the overconsumption of alcohol or “ binge drinking ”. According to the Centers for Disease Control , binge drinking is the most common , costly , and deadly pattern of excessive alcohol use in the United States . This typically occurs when men drink five or more alcoholic beverages and for women , 4 or more within 2 hours . Binge drinking is reported by one in six US adults , with 25 % doing so at least weekly . Alcohol . org noted that the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States credits ¼ of their yearly profits to the month between Thanksgiving and New Year ’ s Day . The American Addiction Centers identified wine , beer , and whiskey the top alcoholic drinks consumed on Thanksgiving compared to champagne , wine and beer during the winter holidays and champagne , tequila and vodka during New Year . Alcohol ’ s Effects Begin Quickly Alcohol impairs both physical and mental abilities which can produce adverse consequences like hangovers , falls , traffic accidents , blackouts and even overdoses . People may not recognize that critical decision-making abilities and driving-related skills are already diminished long before they show signs of intoxication . Alcohol may appear as a stimulant so people who drink may feel upbeat and excited . Alcohol decreases our ability to use good judgement and can lead to reckless decisions . As people drink more alcohol their reaction times get longer , and behavior is hard to control which can lead to fights and other types of violence . Continued drinking causes slurred speech and loss of balance typically associated with being drunk . Alcohol can also cause blackouts-which are gaps in a person ’ s memory while they were intoxicated . At even higher levels of alcohol consumption people who drink large amounts of alcohol face the danger of life-threatening alcohol overdose .
34 • SEKY - Life in Southeast Kentucky December 2022