Here's Why You Drink More Alcohol During the Holidays

Many people drink just a little more than usual during the holidays, but why really? 

Somehow, Christmas is often linked to drinking alcohol. This is probably because Christmas is seen as a big party and this often includes alcohol. Partly this has to do with the media and commercials in which alcohol is promoted and a connection is made between sociability and drinking alcohol. You see an advertisement in which a happy couple enjoys a glass of wine during the holidays or in which the New Year is cheerfully ushered in with a fizzy bottle of champagne. Also, new liqueurs are often launched on the market during December and the supermarket shelves are full of wines that would go perfectly with the meat or fish dish that you had planned for Christmas.

Perhaps you are not naturally a fan of alcohol, but you drink a glass anyway because your whole family drinks wine at Christmas. You experience a certain pressure and give in anyway because you don't want to be left out. In this day and age, it takes quite a bit for you to turn down a glass of wine or a beer, especially during the festive Christmas season. People might ask why you don't drink, and you quickly fear that you will be seen as boring.

Finally, you may also find yourself looking forward to Christmas like a mountain. All those obligations and conversations with people you don't see very often during the rest of the year. These days might go a little more smoothly if you have had two wines. Yet it would not be strange at all, and it would be quite brave, if you drink less or not at all this Christmas (if you want to, of course).