There is a good chance you are waking up from a night of overindulging, and if not last night, the holiday season likely meant consumption on a grand scale. Frankly, it’s one of my favorite things about the time from Halloween through New Year’s. To my doctor’s dismay, it is a time to consume. Candy and turkey dinners, costumes and presents, charcuterie boards and pumpkin pie, and of course, the drinks. It’s the time of year when rules and logic are thrown out the window. We cut down a tree to then toss it away. We wrap things in paper for three seconds of joy, and we fill our house and bodies with way more than we need.

So, how much is too much? You probably woke up this morning having stayed up too late and had too much to drink. Your body is telling you that you passed the logical limit. For me, the limit question is a tough question. I preach everything in moderation, especially to my daughter, but I am pretty hypocritical about it. I will take down a carton of ice cream or a package of Oreos without batting an eye, and when the drinks are flowing, I rarely set a logical limit. I own so many yard games that someone could question where I’m at on the collecting/hoarding scale, and it looks like I’m running a used bookstore, although none of them are for sale.

In a world where we can get almost anything delivered to us in hours or days, it has never been easier to consume. As a result, we are doing so at a record-setting pace. I’m not one to stop a party, but for our minds and bodies, we may need to remember that everything in moderation is actually a good way to live. We will feel better, think better, and have a little more money in the bank. Just a little self-control might result in fewer headaches and less heartburn. This will undoubtedly be bad for whoever makes Tums and Advil, but I think they will survive, and we will feel much better.

While we are in this time where we reminisce on 2021 and look towards what 2022 will bring, consider how much is too much. I will do my best to do the same. Now I’m off to go hydrate. Happy New Year!