Be it the chill in the air or early settling of dusk, this season has some reaching for comfort in the form of a drink. And those holiday cocktails often spill over into the first months of the year. Wintertime drinking has become a public health issue, and despite our relatively mild winters, the Lowcountry isn’t immune to cold-weather alcohol abuse.
ID the problem
What makes winter so boozy? “Cooler temperatures and lack of daylight can trigger seasonal affective disorder, depression or anxiety,” explains Dr. John Stewart, a Roper St. Francis Healthcare primary care doctor. As a result, people may self-medicate with alcohol. “Alcohol releases endorphins, those feel-good hormones that fuel the reward centers of the brain,” he continues. “That, in turn, can lead to dependence and addiction.”
Beyond the buzz
“Drinking in excess, even once a week, can be detrimental to your health,” continues Dr. Stewart. Most people know the immediate effects of one too many—impaired motor skills and slurred speech followed by a hangover the next morning. Though you may be tempted to pop an aspirin and shrug it off, overindulging slowly chips away at your health.
The long-term physical and mental impacts of excessive alcohol consumption form a sizable list: liver and heart troubles, lower white blood cell counts, memory loss, dementia and movement disorders, to name just a few. And drinking alcohol raises the risk of certain cancers, such as head and neck, esophageal, liver, breast and colorectal.
Alcohol also impacts the brain’s communication pathways, altering how the brain looks, changing mood and behavior and making thought harder. In a study shared by The BMJ, participants who consumed more than four alcoholic beverages per day showed six times the risk of brain shrinkage compared to nondrinkers.
So how much is too much? The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines heavy drinking for men as more than four drinks on any day or 14 per week. For women, it’s more than three drinks on any day or seven per week.
To your health
While a daily glass of red wine has previously been touted as beneficial to one’s health, more recent science may dry up that theory. A 2018 Lancet report analyzing more than 1,000 alcohol studies and 26 years of data sources concluded that the optimal number of daily drinks to minimize overall health risks is zero.
As with most health matters, moderation is key when it comes to drinking. Having the occasional drink isn’t worrisome, reassures Dr. Stewart, but imbibing daily, binging or feeling like you have to drink may point to a problem. “If there are days when you can’t function or have a sense of regret from drinking, that’s concerning,” he says. “Feeling that you need to drink in order to operate or go out in public, or using alcohol to enhance your life—those are signs of dependency.”
Recently, some have begun abstaining from alcohol during the first month of the year, using “dry January” to focus on healthier habits while saving the money (and calories) they would have spent on drinks. Within 30 days of quitting alcohol, blood pressure may go down, the liver begins to heal, skin may improve, sleep becomes more restful and energy levels increase. Now that’s worth a temperance toast!
NOTE: If you feel dependent on alcohol, consult a doctor for help. Support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous also offer free, confidential help with recovery.
Editor’s Note: This blog is an excerpt from the article “The Alcohol Effect,” originally authored by Holly Fisher. This piece was featured in House Calls.