It’s the most wonderful time of the year for drinking, at least when you look at all the holiday parties that include alcohol. But how is that holiday drinking really affecting you?
Many Americans don’t even realize what high-risk drinking looks like. This is troublesome news for people suffering from alcohol-related mental health disorders such as alcohol use disorder.
Caron Treatment Centers recently came out with a new holiday survey with some unsettling findings about Americans’ holiday drinking habits.
For example, 44 percent of U.S. adults 21 years of age or older think that “consuming three or more drinks during family holiday parties was fine as long as the imbiber could ‘hold their liquor’ and refrained from driving,” according to a press release.
Only 32 percent thought the same drinking behavior was acceptable at a workplace holiday party.
However, according to government standards, in order to avoid high-risk drinking, women should be drinking no more than three drinks per day with a limit of seven total a week.
Americans have also noticed the detrimental effects of intoxication at these parties. In fact, 60 percent who showed up to workplace and family holiday parties noticed inappropriate behavior from someone who imbibed alcohol.
At workplace holiday parties, out of those Americans who saw co-workers acting out due to excessive drinking, 43 percent witnessed a co-worker or supervisor drive drunk.
Dr. Harris Stratyner, the regional clinical vice president of Caron Treatment Centers’ New York Recovery Services, said in an email that last year’s results focused more on people missing work due to hangovers from holiday parties. Also, people used the holidays as an excuse to drink more.
“While the holidays are often full of happy family gatherings, they can also create additional stressors and emotional triggers that may prompt someone to drink more than usual,” Stratyner said.
Because many people don’t realize what low-risk drinking looks like, they may lose relationships and careers along the way, or suffer other consequences from excessive drinking.
For people who have alcohol-related issues, there are still some ways to navigate safely through holiday parties.
“For a family gathering, you may want to see if relatives are open to keeping the celebration alcohol-free,” Stratyner said. “If that isn’t possible you may need to rethink your holiday traditions and create new ones such as having tea somewhere special, a spa day or volunteering in your community.”
He said you could also bring a close friend who understands your situation so you can feel their support, and also come up with a safety plan.
“If people drinking alcohol all around you is going to make you uncomfortable and be a trigger for you to drink, you need to think about skipping that function,” Stratyner said.
Joe Schrank, the founder of the recovery center Rebound Brooklyn, said in an email that women can still enjoy holiday parties without drinking – they just have to come up with different ways to decline alcohol offers. Some people will accept a simple “No thank you, I don’t drink,” while others are extremely pushy.
When you are pressured to drink, you can say you are on medication that doesn’t allow you to drink, or if you are willing, you can disclose that you are in recovery from alcoholism.
Paul Hokemeyer, a senior clinical advisor for Caron Treatment Centers, said in an email that sometimes holiday parties might be used as an excuse for people with alcohol abuse issues to avoid correcting their behavior, since everyone else is drinking in excess.
“I think the main reason people feel they have a license to let loose at holiday parties is because they are anxious about having to socialize with colleagues or family members,” he said. “I've heard many of my patients say that they drank too much to help them deal with the stress of the occasion.”
Here are some of Hokemeyer’s suggestions for enjoying holiday parties even with alcohol-related issues:
1) “Go about 30 minutes late and leave early.”
2) “Have your own independent means to and fro. Do not rely on a colleague for transportation. Bring your own car or arrange for a pick up by a taxi or a friend.”
3) “When you enter the party, make a beeline for the bar and order a fancy-looking non-alcoholic drink: club soda in a highball glass with a twist of citrus works fine. Never allow that glass to empty out. Always keep it full so no one can pressure you in to a ‘refill.’”
Sources:
Caron Treatment Centers. Caron Pennsylvania. Many Americans Oblivious To What High-Risk Drinking Looks Like. Web. December 2, 2013.
http://www.caron.org/news/many-americans-oblivious-what-high-risk-drinking-looks
Caron Treatment Centers. Caron Pennsylvania. Hungover at Work During the Holiday Season? Web. December 2, 2013.
http://www.caron.org/news/hungover-work-during-holiday-season
Schrank, Joe. Email interview. December 2, 2013.
http://www.reboundbrooklyn.com/staff
Hokemeyer, Paul. Email interview. December 2, 2013.
http://www.drhokemeyer.com
Stratyner, Harris. Email interview. December 2, 2013.
http://www.drharrisstratyner.com
Reviewed December 3, 2013
by MIchele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith