Another vaccine tip coming in hot! If you're scheduled to get your COVID-19 booster, it's a good idea to hold off on partying too hard in the days leading up to and following vaccination. The impact of drinking alcohol before and after COVID-19 vaccination, specifically, has not been studied-- but previous research on alcohol's impact on immune response has led health officials to recommend that we avoid heavy drinking before and after vaccination. Many studies have shown that heavy alcohol consumption impairs the immune response and increases susceptibility to illness and infection. It prevents immune cells from traveling to sites of infection and carrying out their duties, like destroying viruses, bacteria and infected cells; makes it easier for pathogens to invade your cells, and may cause other problems. What's considered moderate and heavy drinking? Moderate drinking is generally defined as no more than two drinks a day for men and a maximum of one drink a day for women, whereas heavy drinking is defined as four or more drinks on any day for men and three or more drinks for women. One “standard” drink is considered five ounces of wine, 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits, or 12 ounces of beer. Alcohol (especially in excess) can also exacerbate side effects after vaccination (body aches, headaches, etc)-- another reason to avoid drinking heavily. However, if you are a moderate drinker, one or two drinks shouldn't have too much of an impact, if any, on immune response. (There’s even some data that show that moderate alcohol consumption may actually be beneficial—but we’ll dig into that topic another time!)