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Arete Warriors – spirit, mind, body strong

Holiday Season

Keeping Your Cool Among Cookies, Cocktails & Chaos.

It’s the most wonderfully chaotic time of the year, so I’m going to keep this short.

December goes by fast. You might find yourself singing, “All I want for Christmas is a little peace” in the middle of it.

“Silent Night”? In your dreams!

It’s party season. For me, at 51, this looks a little different than it used to.

In our college days we warmed up for the main event parties with our own little “pre-funk”. The goal was to liven up with some drink before the actual party/ more drinks. 😑

Nowadays, in our more mature state, we need to warm up more like an athlete does before a game. The goal is more to not pull a hammie lunging to get to the charcuterie board.

Let’s Prepare – the warm up

People drink to celebrate, relax, or fit in. If you’re reaching for drinks to relax, there are other ways to do so that would leave you with a lot better side effects.

If you’re coming in to the party all stressed out from the chaos of the season, or you have social anxiety so you feel you need to have a drink to be able to mingle, PLEASE take a breath first.

There is a LOT of research that shows mindfulness and deep breathing are far better than alcohol at improving mood, relieving stress, and reducing anxiety.

YOU DON’T HAVE TO DRINK, but if you choose to, here are some tips to help limit the negative effects.

Before The Party

1. Eat a solid meal — Protein + fat + fiber (e.g., steak, salmon, cheese/crackers, nuts) slows alcohol absorption dramatically and cuts peak blood-alcohol levels by up to 50%.

2. Hydrate aggressively — Start your day with some electrolytes. Alcohol is a diuretic; most of the next-day misery is dehydration.

3. Take these supplements (backed by decent studies):

• N-acetylcysteine (NAC) 600–1200 mg ~1 hour before drinking → boosts glutathione and reduces acetaldehyde buildup.
• B-complex (especially thiamine/B1) + magnesium — Alcohol depletes both.
• Prickly pear extract (500–1600 mg) — One study showed ~50% reduction in hangover symptoms.
• DHM (dihydromyricetin, from Hovenia dulcis) 300–600 mg — Popular in Asia; multiple human studies show it speeds alcohol metabolism and cuts next-day symptoms.

While You’re Drinking

• One-for-one rule: Glass of water (or electrolyte drink) for every alcoholic drink. This alone slashes hangover severity by ~50% in studies.
• Stick to clearer spirits (vodka, gin, tequila, white wine) if you’re sensitive — they have fewer congeners (toxic byproducts).
• Avoid shots and bubbly mixers (champagne, vodka-soda with lots of bubbles) — carbonation speeds absorption.
• Set a hard limit beforehand and tell someone (accountability works).

Before Bed (Critical)

• Rehydrate: 500–1000 mL water + electrolytes.
• Eat something: Toast with peanut butter, a banana, or a protein shake — gives your liver glucose and amino acids while it’s still processing alcohol.

Optional “hangover prevention stack” people swear by (and that has some science):

• Another 600 mg NAC
• 400–600 mg magnesium glycinate
• 200–400 mg ibuprofen OR 500 mg naproxen (but not if you have stomach issues or drank heavily)

Next Morning Rescue (if you’re still feel rough)

• Electrolyte drink + high-protein breakfast
• Light exercise (walk or sauna) to speed clearance
• More DHM or NAC if you have it
• Coffee is fine once you’ve rehydrated

So that about covers the cocktails. As for the chaos and cookies, we go back to my statement above that’s worth repeating.

There is a LOT of research that shows mindfulness and deep breathing are superior methods for improving mood, relieving stress, and reducing anxiety.

I don’t know about you but if I’m not fully present and 100% focused on every bite of my cookie, I’ll need the whole batch to feel satiated.

And it’s hard to be fully present and 100% focused in the chaos of this season, especially at a party.

When I coach the throwers, I tell them the Navy Seal adage, “Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.”

This applies here. If we can just SLOW D O W N … we will be more effective.

Let’s Work – the exercise

Being present, breathing deeply or even paying attention to your breath, is going to help you limit the potential damage of the season.

If you choose to drink, you can still have fun and wake up feeling human if you don’t over-indulge, eat first, alternate water, and take NAC/DHM + electrolytes. 🎄

Becoming The Woman You Want To Be Eat, drink and be merry. My ideal woman doesn’t overindulge often but when she does, she doesn’t beat herself up about it. She plows through the next day, accepting her punishment of not feeling great with a smile on her face and a laugh about how much fun she had being “naughty”.