The expert told how to spend New Year’s Eve: better less and less often

New Year for most of our adult compatriots is not only the main holiday of the year, but also a serious burden on the body: bowls of salads and other dishes, alcohol, for many – in fairly serious doses. Candidate of Medical Sciences Valentin Skryabin, head of the clinical branch of the Moscow Scientific and Practical Center for Narcology, spoke about how to survive the holiday without serious consequences for the body.

– What would you advise to minimize the harm from the New Year’s feast?

– Here I can give advice both as a doctor in general and as a narcologist. As a doctor in general, I would advise you to make this feast not too dense, so that the body does not encounter an excessive amount of food, including fatty, with an abundance of mayonnaise, as is historically customary in our hospitable country. And as a narcologist, I can say that everything here is predictable, simple, understandable. For many, this may be sad, but the best way to minimize harm is not to drink at all. Because there is no safe dose of alcohol. Unfortunately, during the holidays, many people have a deceptive hope that in the new year they will definitely reduce their consumption. So now you can afford more. This is not true. And you need to keep in mind that literally every dose of alcohol you drink increases the risk of developing related diseases, of which there is a rather large list.

– And what exactly should not be done?

– Different accepted combinations can aggravate the blow to the body. for example, fatty foods plus alcohol is an additional burden on the pancreas and, in general, on the gastrointestinal tract. Or, for example, the combination of alcohol and sweets is also a serious burden. If it is not possible to completely give up alcohol, then you definitely should not drink it on an empty stomach. So it will quickly enter the intestines, it will be absorbed on a larger surface area, intoxication will develop faster and its consequences can be much more severe.

– It is customary for us to celebrate the New Year with a glass of champagne under the chiming clock, and continue with something else, as a rule, stronger. How would you comment on this custom?

– I can say for sure that sweet carbonated alcoholic drinks are our enemy, you should not use them. In general, alcohol and sugar are a very harmful combination, they are harmful individually, and in combination, the risks to the body increase. The rest is the same – the less you drink, the better, you also need to try to make as large intervals as possible. Absolutely definitely do not drink alcohol to quench your thirst at the New Year’s table. A serious mistake is to follow all the kitchen tips from the series to increase the degree, mix drinks and so on. So if it is not possible not to drink, then you need to minimize the amount, pay attention to how much you drink in order to know exactly how much you have already consumed and control yourself. Do not fill the glass before you finish drinking what was in it.

– There is an opinion that a decrease in the degree is worse than an increase. This is true?

It’s a choice between two bad options. Both rise and fall, generally the mixing of alcoholic beverages. If you want a holiday not only for yourself, but also for those with whom you celebrate, then it is best to minimize the amount of alcohol, do not play such risky games. Both schemes have dangers and risks for your health.

– There is also an opinion that if you stretch yourself with a glass of something strong after an hour of feasting, then intoxication will be easier.

– Indeed, it is believed that if you drink a small dose of alcohol in advance, then the liver enzymes will be activated, they will begin to work, then it will be easier at the New Year’s table. But the number of enzymes is not infinite, their effectiveness is also limited. The resources of our body are very limited and enzymes are not omnipotent. This is fraught with the fact that if, against the background of a pre-launched enzyme system, a person starts drinking alcohol, then the first dose will go unnoticed for him. This will lull vigilance, lead to a worsening of intoxication and more serious consequences than originally planned. This is a trick that is essentially self-deception. Instead of making an informed decision, at least minimize your drinking and then follow that plan.

– Unfortunately, not everyone follows such plans, and the first morning of the new year is met with a headache and other unpleasant symptoms. What would you advise to not be excruciatingly painful?

There is no single cure for a hangover. Alcohol, of course, is toxic, but we have no antidote, no antidote. In any case, it will take time to recuperate. In fact, what we are talking about is a symptomatic treatment, people are struggling with certain manifestations of a hangover. First of all, a person who overestimated his strength and celebrated the onset of the New Year too intensely needs to rest, sleep, and, if possible, wait for sobering up. It is definitely not worth doing what we like to treat like with like. Drinking alcohol in the morning will only prolong the hangover. In no case should you go to the bath or sauna: this is an additional burden on the cardiovascular system. You definitely don’t have to play sports. For some reason I am sure that no sports records have been set with a hangover, and hardly anyone will set them in such a state in the future. What you can do is take a walk in the fresh air, take a contrast shower. You can and should eat high-protein foods, drink plenty of water, preferably salty drinks, because the water-salt balance from active celebration will definitely be disturbed. And gradually the body will return to normal.