Alcohol-free holidays

In this week's challenge you must not drink alcohol. Many of us look forward to celebrations during the holidays, yet it is also a time when some people are more likely to drink beyond their limits than at other times of the year,drinking a little too much cider to get through family events, champagne toasts and boozy bar crawls with hometown friends. Some will suffer adverse consequences that range from fights to falls to traffic crashes. Sadly, we often put ourselves and others at risk because we don’t understand how alcohol affects us during an evening of celebratory drinking. Many studies have shown that going alcohol-free has positive impacts on one’s physical and mental health. To help you get in the loop take part in the Alcohol-free holidays Challenge, we’ve listed few benefits you could reap from going alcohol-free.

Benefits of Going Alcohol-Free:

1. Weight loss

   Reducing your alcohol intake diminishes your calorie intake, which can help with weight loss. One glass of beer or wine yields approximately 150 calories. Add all those glasses taken during the week, and the end tally of absorbed “empty” calories can be impressive.



2. Better sleep

   People mistakenly believe they’ll sleep better if they have a few glasses. They might indeed fall asleep faster, but they won’t sleep well. Alcohol disrupts the third and fourth phases of the sleep cycle, even among occasional drinkers.



3. More willpower to undertake projects.

   Going without alcohol for a whole month shows you can undertake a tough challenge. This is the kind of energy you can surf on to take on other projects!



4. You have more energy all day long.

   No more of those ups and downs during the afternoon. Your days go by faster, because you are happier, more motivated and, most of all, better focused.



5. It prevents our body from absorbing more vitamins and minerals

   Alcohol kills the cells in our stomach lining and intestines that facilitate the body’s absorption of nutrients, and can also inhibit the transportation of nutrients into our blood stream.



6. You’ll be better hydrated

   Research shows that alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it affects the kidneys and makes you urinate much more than you actually take in. It also inhibits the kidneys’ production of the hormone vasopressin, which encourages your body to re-absorb water as opposed to sending it straight to the bladder to be flushed out.



7. Giving up alcohol can reduce the amount of fat in your liver

   According to studies, giving up alcohol for one month can lead to a 15% decrease in the amount of fat in your liver. This can prevent diseases including liver cancer, and also stop us from feeling sluggish. Research suggests that our skin reflects the quality of our liver, so a month off the booze will help clear any post-holidays pimples.



8. It reduces your risk of heart disease

   Alcohol raises our blood pressure both temporarily and permanently, and excessive alcohol consumption over a long time can lead to high blood pressure, which is one of the main causes of heart disease. Furthermore, the high amount of calories in alcohol can increase the amount of cholesterol in our arteries, heightening the risk of a heart-attack causing blockage. In fact, research even shows that alcohol can make our heart beat irregularly, a condition known as Holiday Heart Syndrome, changing our blood pressure and increasing our chances of having a heart attack. So don’t be fooled into thinking the antioxidants in a daily glass of red are good for the heart – swap the wine for a green tea to make sure your circulatory system stays healthy.



9. It will boost your immune system

   Research shows that alcohol can start depleting our immune system just 20 minutes after that first drink, and the negative effects can last up to several days after consumption, way after alcohol is no longer detectable in our blood stream. A heavy night inhibits the functioning of our infection-fighting monocytes, making us all the more susceptible to those viruses and colds. A month off alcohol can make sure our immune system is on top form.



10. It will improve your memory

    The effects of alcohol on our memory go much deeper than having no recollection of the night before, since studies show that alcohol inhibits the functioning of the hippocampus – that’s the part of the brain responsible for creating and saving memories.

Here are some tips to keep in mind if you host a holiday gathering:

1. Offer a variety of nonalcoholic drinks—water, juices, sparkling sodas. Nonalcoholic drinks help counteract the dehydrating effects of alcohol. Also, the other fluids may slow the rate of alcohol absorption into the body and reduce the peak alcohol concentration in the blood. They also provide your guests with alternatives to alcohol.


2. Provide a variety of healthy foods and snacks. Food can slow the absorption of alcohol and reduce the peak level of alcohol in the body by about one-third. Food can also minimize stomach irritation and gastrointestinal distress the following day.


3. Help your guests get home safely—use designated drivers and taxis. Anyone getting behind the wheel of a car should not have ingested any alcohol.


4. If you are a parent, understand the underage drinking laws—and set a good example.


5. Take a break have several drink-free weeks each month.

Have a safe holiday season!

Suggested Reading:

9 Reasons Not to Drink or Use During the Holiday Season - Learn more here.

The benefits of going alcohol free - Learn more here.