Last Updated on June 7, 2025

The holidays are a time of joy, connection, celebration—and, let’s be honest, temptation. From family dinners to New Year’s Eve toasts, alcohol often feels like part of the package. 

If you’ve been working on drinking more mindfully, this season can bring up a lot of questions. How do you stay on track without feeling restricted? Is it even possible to enjoy the holidays without overdoing it?

The answer is yes. The key? Intention, not perfection.

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Why December Drinking Goals Are So Difficult

A particular challenge during the holidays is what we call the all-or-nothing mindset. You might recognize it in phrases like “I’ll just indulge now and reset in January” or “I have to be completely dry to stay in control.”

Both extremes can backfire.

Repeated overindulgence can leave you physically exhausted. Alcohol depletes key nutrients, including B1 (thiamine), B12, folate, and magnesium, which are essential for regulating mood and maintaining energy. When these nutrients are low, your mood drops. Your ability to resist cravings might weaken, too.

On the other hand, strict restriction—for instance, avoiding social gatherings entirely—can lead to increased cravings. It can also make you feel lonely. Depriving yourself completely, especially in social settings, can intensify your desire for what you’re trying to avoid. This makes it harder to stick to long-term goals.

The solution? Finding the middle ground.

A Flexible Holiday Drinking Plan

If you’re thinking ahead about how to stick to your holiday drinking goals, you’re already in a great spot. Intention helps you tend towards better decisions.

Some tips to find balance during the busiest time of year:

1. Set a Personalized Plan

Instead of reacting in the moment, decide ahead of time how much you want to drink and when. Maybe that means allowing yourself a couple of drinks at a big party, but choosing not to drink at a few smaller gatherings during the week. 

Once you have your plan set, write it down or use a tool like the Sunnyside app to keep track of your progress.

2. Balance Out Your Indulgences

Mindful drinking doesn’t mean you can’t ever enjoy yourself. You’ll just need to be intentional. If you know you’ll drink more at a holiday event, consider making adjustments elsewhere. For example:

• Eat lighter or more nutrient-dense meals that day.
  
• Drink extra water before and during the event.
  
• Schedule a workout the morning after.
  
• Skip a routine drinking day (like Saturday) to make space for a midweek gathering.
  

Balance isn’t an act of deprivation. When you prioritize balance, you’re simply aligning your habits with what matters to you.

3. Introducing the 10-Second Pause

Before grabbing another drink, take ten seconds to pause. Ask yourself: Does this align with my plan? 

That tiny window creates just enough space to make a decision you’re proud of. It might sound super simple (and it is), but it can also shift the course of your night.

Progress Over Perfection

The holiday season isn’t about perfection. It’s about connection. And connection doesn’t require alcohol—it requires presence. The truth is, sticking to your holiday drinking goals doesn’t mean missing out. In fact, it often means gaining more: better sleep, clearer memories, and more energy to actually enjoy what’s happening around you.

Maybe this December, you can build in a bit of flexibility. You can allow for intentional indulgence without guilt. You accept that one or two extra drinks over the month won’t erase your progress, especially when you’re still showing up for yourself with awareness and accountability. That’s what sustainable change looks like.

One Small Step to Start Today

Pick one of these actions and commit to it:

• Create a drinking plan for your next social event.
  
• Choose a day this week to skip drinking.
  
• Try the 10-second pause next time you’re offered a drink.
  

Whatever you choose, you’re choosing to stay aligned with your values. That’s worth celebrating!

Looking Ahead to January (and Beyond)

By staying mindful now, you set yourself up for a more manageable January. No extreme resets. No guilt. Just a smooth transition into the new year and confidence in your ability to make intentional choices.

So yes, you can stick to your holiday drinking goals and still enjoy the season.

Sunnyside makes consistency easier with personalized drink plans, progress tracking, and daily accountability—all built to support your goals without the guilt. Get started with a 15-day free trial of Sunnyside.

What is Sunnyside?

Sunnyside is a mindful drinking and alcohol moderation app that can help change your habits around alcohol using a proven, science-backed method. Whether you want to become a more mindful drinker, drink less, or eventually quit drinking, Sunnyside can help you reach your goals. We take a positive, friendly approach to habit change, so you never feel judged or pressured to quit.

When you join Sunnyside, you’ll start by completing a 3-minute private assessment so we can learn a bit about you. Once that’s done, you’ll get a 15-day free trial to test out everything, including our daily habit change tools, tracking and analytics, community and coaching, and education and resources. It’s a full package designed specifically to adapt to your goals and help you reach them gradually, so you can make a huge impact on your health and well-being.

Sunnyside is a digital habit and behavior-change program that is incredibly effective on its own, but can also be the perfect complement to other work you’re doing to cut down on drinking, whether that includes talk therapy or medication such as Naltrexone.

Get your 15-day free trial of Sunnyside today, and start living your healthiest life.