Holiday PSA: Is any amount of alcohol healthy?

Sadly, the answer is NO.

That doesn’t mean I advise my clients not to drink. But I do want them to be aware of the health risks associated with alcohol and approach it with intention and moderation especially as we come into the Thanksgiving/ Christmas holiday season.

A lot of us grew up watching our parents drink daily and some of us came of age during the three-martini lunch.

Here’s what we now know: The risks and harms associated with drinking alcohol have been systematically evaluated over the years and are well documented.

The World Health Organization recently published a statement in The Lancet Public Health: “when it comes to alcohol consumption, there is no safe amount that does not affect our health.”

Here’s what I say: Make a conscious decision to drink, knowing the downsides.  I suggest my clients drink anywhere from zero to five drinks weekly to live a balanced, healthy life.

Below is a quick edited list (visit the CDC’s website for a scarier version) of how alcohol affects your health:

🛑 High blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and digestive problems;

🛑 Weakening of the immune system, increasing the chances of getting sick;

🛑 Learning and memory problems, including dementia;

🛑 Mental health problems, including depression and anxiety;

🛑 Social problems, including family problems, job-related problems, and unemployment;

🛑 Alcohol use disorders, or alcohol dependence;

🛑 Poor judgment;

🛑 Bad sleep quality: After a few hours of sleep, alcohol can cause you to wake up and have a difficult time going back to sleep. Alcohol also has a negative effect on Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep.

I know this news doesn’t go down easily, and also that many people still feel peer pressure to drink in social or family situations (cue Thursday). That pressure to drink isn’t malicious and may not even be conscious.

But if we drink more as a result of it, we could be risking our health.

Let’s normalize parenting ourselves and making conscious and intentional choices!

As we get older, the road just narrows and we have less choices if we want to lead a healthy life.

Feel free to comment below 👇 if any of this resonates (or if it doesn’t).

Xx Lauren