As a busy New Yorker in my mid-20s, like many of my demographic, I find myself going out for cocktails on a fairly regular basis. It’s just what we do. We “grab a drink” or invite friends over for cocktails. Mixology dens in the city are springing up everywhere, and the old-school speakeasy cocktail is definitely having its moment of resurgence. An engagement party and a full set of barware later, I have learned to make many classic drinks like the aviation, the sazarac, and the old-fashioned. Let’s be honest, cocktails are fun. A glass of champagne just feels indulgent. A full-bodied red on a cold night warms the body and the soul. And everyone needs some time to decompress with friends and colleagues from a rough week in the office, right?
One thing I’ve noticed about life as a young professional in NYC is that, given that hardly anyone drives on a regular basis, the obligation to keep alcohol consumption within the legal driving limit is eliminated. Home is always just a short taxi ride away. And while this removes the pressure to stay sober, that isn’t necessarily a good thing for the mind or the body.
I’m not implying that having a boozy night on the town here and there is a bad thing, nor do I want to be a kill-joy (or a “buzz-kill,” of you will). As a member of the health and wellness industry, I do think that it’s worth knowing just how much harm these nights can have on the mind and body when engaged in on a regular basis. Just how much is cocktail hour undermining efforts to stay healthy, fit, and trim? What damage does regular drinking really do to the body?
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention classifies binge drinking as indulging in four or more drinks per day for women and 5 or more for men. Meaning that by the time you’ve had a cocktail at the bar, a half bottle of wine at dinner, and a nightcap, yep, you’re binge drinking. Yet this is quite a familiar story (and a seemingly harmless amount of alcohol consumption) for many New Yorkers. Which begs the question, is “binge” drinking really that bad for you? Aren’t the people defining this term being a bit severe?
Unfortunately for cocktail enthusiasts everywhere, they aren’t. I think that young people sometimes have the mindset that we will just make up for the damage we do to our bodies later in life, but regular heavy drinking not only wreaks havoc on the liver and the heart, but it can also lead to osteoporosis, dementia, and can even increase the risk of various cancers. According to both the Mayo Clinic and Bay Area Medical Information, “regular consumption of even a few drinks per week is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.” Yikes. Does that scare anyone but me? Breast cancer runs in my family, and I do not want to put myself even more at risk. Additionally, if you’re one of those people who enjoys a cigarette when you drink, guess what? The “combination of alcohol and tobacco increases the risk of cancer far more than the effect of either drinking or smoking.” You might want to think twice before lighting up during a night on the town on a frequent basis.
Not to mention alcohol’s effects on the mind. Alcohol is a depressant. Those morning-after-the-big-party blues can be traced back to the beverages consumed the night before. And although young people joke about having killed too many brain cells in college partying, in actuality, binge drinking really can dull that razor sharp mind that you always prided yourself on. And in NYC where everyone wants to get ahead, a dull mind is never a good thing. I for one definitely want my brain operating at maximum efficiency.
It’s also worth noting that binge drinking is obviously not low-cal. A study conducted by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism found that it wasn’t the drinkers consuming small amounts on a regular basis, but rather those who indulged heavily from time to time (meaning more than 3 or 4 in one sitting) who had the largest abdominal height measurements(meaning the highest incidence of the dreaded belly fat). While you may be the one ordering the salad at J.G. Mellon to spare yourself the additional calories of the cheeseburger, the four sugary cocktails you have later might just cancel that salad out. I’m all for indulging in a great meal or a fun drink, and I do think that many people are a little too rigid when it comes to limiting themselves at mealtimes, but just be informed about what you’re putting into your body. Consume in a way that makes sense for your personal weight/fitness goals.
In conclusion, for those of us who plan to continue indulging in adult beverages, the experts recommend living by the simple rule of moderation. Moderate drinking is no more than 1 drink/day for women and 2 for men. If you are accustomed to drinking more heavily than this on a regular basis, then sure, it may seem like a massive cutback (not to mention a damper on your nightlife), but I decided to put this limit to the test after all the festivities of the New Year. Sure, I wasn’t always the person having the wildest time at a party, but I did feel more clear-headed, positive, and happier overall (not to mention, 2 weeks later my skin is thanking me with a healthy glow). I feel like I successfully rebooted my system (not to mention, I’m really enjoying my weekends- both at night AND the day after!), and for me, it was really worth it.
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