While beer, wine, and spirits might seem like the perfect way of celebrating an important holiday, alcohol provides one more hurdle to go through for any marketer trying to stay healthy during this time of year.

A drink on occasion is fine – a nice glass of wine may be critical for a particular dinner dish – but letting the holidays become an excuse to drink more than usual ought to be avoided for the following reasons:

Less Stress

If overdone, taking alcohol can cause more stress; it causes cortisol, a body’s stress hormone, to rise. Studies reveal a positive connection between intake of alcohol and levels of cortisol in older adults. Combined with the inherent stresses of the holidays such as shopping and traveling, alcohol only makes these things more difficult to manage.

For every additional alcohol unit consumed per week, there was an increase in the levels of cortisol by 3 percent. Also, stress is linked to the levels of serotonin, which is also affected by alcohol. Low serotonin leaves people anxious and unhappy, compounding their stress. When one quits drinking alcohol, they will have less stress, which can lead to a happier life.

Reduced Risk

Millions of people operate a motor vehicle every day, and the number of cars on the road at any given time only increases during the holidays. Combined with alcohol consumption and the consequences can be deadly. This not only applies to the intoxicated individual but the family driving home from Christmas shopping who have their vehicle struck by a drunk driver.

The simple solution is to never get behind the wheel while intoxicated, especially during the holidays when the temptation to do so often goes up. This rule helps to avoid the risk of being seriously hurt or killed in an accident. Those with trouble sticking to this rule ought to consider having a Low Cost Interlock device installed in their vehicle, and/or taking advantage of rideshare services. Of course, the best way to avoid the dangers of drinking and driving during the holidays is to simply avoid drinking.

Healthier Liver

Research from Britain highlights the liver-related benefits of staying even one month without drinking alcohol. When 102 relatively healthy women and men in their 40s, who all consume alcohol more than the guideline of the government abstained for 28 days, they revealed reduced liver stiffness (FibroScan). Maybe the month of December is the perfect opportunity for a liver cleanse?

Their insulin resistance (IR), a measurement of diabetes risk, decreased by 28 percent and all of them reported a better general sense of well-being. Cutting out alcohol slashes the risk of getting liver cancer, liver cirrhosis, and fatty liver disease.

Improved Memory

A study that looked at the patterns of alcohol consumption of more than 2,000 women and 5,000 men discovered that heavy drinkers might experience a decline in reasoning skills, attention, and memory up to six years earlier than those drinking less. Avoiding alcohol for a few months to a year can reverse the negative effects on cognitive skills, including attention, memory, and problem-solving. This might make remembering the names of distant relatives easier when meeting them for a holiday feast.

Muscle Growth

Some people in marketing like an alcoholic drink during the holidays, but they should keep in mind that alcohol can undo that hard work they put in while working out to avoid gaining holiday weight. Research reveals that ingesting alcohol can interfere with the muscle growth and slow the post-exercise recovery process, putting a major dent in the endurance as well as the ability to convert carbs into usable energy.

Alcohol is proven to be a source of empty calories; the body stores the sugar from the alcohol as excess fat. Alcohol doesn’t contribute any minerals or vitamins. It also inhibits nutrient absorption from other sources. Combined with an excess of gingerbread cookies and other sugary sweets consumed during the holidays, it adds up to a double whammy of punishment to the body.

When one stops drinking, it helps in improving body functions: their body can absorb zinc, folic acid, vitamin B12, thiamin, and vitamin C. Not drinking might just make Christmas dinner with the in-laws more enjoyable, rather than your usual cocktail or two.

While there is nothing wrong with drinking alcohol once in awhile, people should know that life isn’t only possible without drinking; it’s far much better. There are many benefits when one decides to stay sober which extend beyond the holidays, these are just a few of them.