Holiday Stress and Wellness Edition: Alcohol Use and the Holidays

Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D. Guest: Terry D. Schneekloth, M.D. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, there’s a significant increase in alcohol consumption during holidays. Christmas and New Years are times of celebration and alcohol use is often part of that celebration. Binge drinking is common, and this can result in impaired judgment, motor vehicle accidents, and risky behaviors. Who’s at greatest risk for alcohol-related behaviors? How can we as health care clinicians detect those at risk for a problem with alcohol during the holidays and what advice can we give our patients recovering from an alcohol addiction to get through the holidays and maintain their sobriety? The topic for this podcast is “Alcohol Use and the Holidays” and these are some of the questions I’ll be asking my guest, Terry Schneekloth, M.D., from the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology at the Mayo Clinic. Connect with the Mayo Clinic’s School of Continuous Professional Development online at https://ce.mayo.edu/ or on Twitter @MayoMedEd.