Drinking increases during the holidays?

Drinking increases during the holidays. Here’s how the extra booze affects your health, according to a doctor.

Americans drink double their typical amount of alcohol during the holiday season, according to estimates, which can have a serious impact on health.

On “CBS Mornings Plus” Tuesday, CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook broke down what to know before throwing back the extra booze this time of year.

“The World Health Organization said there’s no safe amount of alcohol, and it makes sense. I actually did a deep dive on the chemistry of it, which is really interesting and a little bit depressing, because alcohol is a real toxin and it can get inside of cells,” said LaPook. “Inside of cells, it can cause damage to the mitochondria, which make energy — they’re the powerhouses of the cells — to the DNA, which can be important in terms of cancer.”