BOISE, Idaho — Drinking alcohol is a long-time holiday tradition for many people. There's rum in the eggnog, champagne for the New Year, and wine and beer at all the parties.
Many people have a libation to relax and ease the stress during the holidays. But when it comes down to it, the negatives outweigh the benefits by a long shot.
See how holiday drinking can impact your overall health
"There's a tipping point, however, where decision making becomes impaired, and we know people make lots of bad decisions," said Dr. Daniel Meltzer. "I like to joke the emergency department would be out of business if it weren't for alcohol."
Drunken accidents are one thing, and they happen frequently. But Meltzer says even small amounts of alcohol are toxic to one's health, causing a variety of cancers, damaging our brain, and hurting our sleep cycle.
If you're still inclined to drink, he has some tips.
"So probably the best thing that we can do is if we're gonna drink, make sure that we're eating and we're supplementing 1 to 1, sort of the alcohol to water ratio," Meltzer said.
Most important of all, remember to set up a ride home so you don't drink and drive.
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