How Risky Are Those Holiday Cocktails, Really?

The latest recommendations about drinking and your health

- Beth Weinhouse

Tis the season to be jolly ... and for many of us, that may ☐ mean indulging in a glass of eggnog at festive cocktail parties, a glass of wine at celebratory dinners, a flute of champagne to ring in the new year.

Alcohol consumption in the United States rose during the pandemic, especially among women. But drinking has since returned to pre-pandemic levels, and in the last few years there's been another trend happening: an increase in people who are interested in cutting down or cutting out alcohol completely. More and more people are choosing to toast with a mocktail or a glass of club soda, as new studies show that alcohol's effects on the body may be even more harmful than previously thought.

"People are starting to recognize the hazards of drinking and question their own alcohol use. We're wondering, do we need alcohol in our lives?" says Reham Attia, MD, an addiction specialist at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center.

Read on for the latest research on how alcohol affects your health and for ways to cut back on your drinking, if you decide that's a good idea.

What Does Booze Do in the Body?

Most people are aware that alcohol affects the brain, can damage the liver and can affect a pregnant woman's developing baby. But that's not all the havoc it can wreak.

"Because alcohol is water-soluble and disseminates through the entire body, there's not a single organ that's not affected by heavy alcohol use," says Dr. Attia.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA, part of the National Institutes of Health), here are just some of the negative health effects drinking has on your body:

Brain: Alcohol affects the brain's communication pathways, which can change mood and behavior, affect coordination and make it harder to think clearly.