Alcohol

“I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me”

-Winston Churchill

Alcohol is poison. But I tend to have a lot of fun when I drink, and there may be some benefits to imbibing every now and then. How to reconcile? Pro/con list…

Drinking cons:

• Bad for health
• Bad for sleep
• Bad for memory
• Bad for anxiety next day (sunday scaries…)
• Bad for next day productivity/focus
• Really just a negative influence on the entire following day

But I still drink sometimes, so what are the pros?

Drinking pros:

• It’s FUN (arguably this is already enough to justify participation?!?)
• Lowers inhibitions – decreases social anxiety and increases extroversion
• Physically feels good (at the time) – not sure about this one but probably correct
• Usually takes place in social environments conducive to forming new relationships (emphasis on romantic ones)
• Builds camaraderie and shared experience amongst friends

If I accept the idea that consuming alcohol can have beneficial aspects that sometimes outweigh the health related cons, the questions becomes: when and how much should I drink?

Alcohol consumption framework:

The game is to maximize the benefits of drinking whenever I choose to partake. I would break down my alcohol consumption into 3 tranches:

• Sober (0 drinks)
• Social (1-2.5 drinks)
• Send (3+ drinks)

I start the ‘send’ category at 3 drinks because that is generally my inflection point where I lose discipline and become much more open to drinking a lot. I’m at peak physical and mental performance while residing in the ‘sober’ category…obviously. ‘Sober’ should be (and typically is) my default. The ‘social’ category generally lowers my inhibitions and improves my extroversion, but doesn’t really increase my fun nor does it generally lead to camaraderie and shared experience with friends. Consequently the optimal time for me to drink ‘socially’ is in uncomfortable social environments: gatherings where I know few people, first (and second?) dates, and not sure what else*. Importantly if I have dinner with a few good friends at someone’s house, this framework argues that I should not drink a ‘social’ amount as I don’t need the extroversion boost. So we arrive at the ‘send’ category. The ‘send’ category is FUN, can build camaraderie and shared experience with friends, and feels good physically. In the previous dinner with good friends example, staying ‘sober’ is a good choice, but I think it’s actually reasonable to ‘send’ in the correct environment. Getting drunk with a bunch of good friends has created many positive memories in my past that my friends and I still refer to…those shared experiences seem to last. Obviously the ‘send’ category has the largest health repercussions, so balance is key. How frequently should I live in each category?

I’m currently a young(ish), single, nomad, so giving myself a social boost on dates and in unfamiliar social situations might contain a lot of beneficial aspects. Consequently living in the ‘social’ category 3 or 4 nights a week (assuming all the situations are justified) might be optimal for this period of my life. For reference in my previous, more permanent life situation (relationship and living in one place) I would probably target the ‘social’ category at 1.5 nights/week on average. I’m not really sure about the ‘send’ category – my following day is often ruined, and every day is valuable…so I would generally like to avoid this category. That being said, this category occurs frequently in my social circles and can be difficult (for me…) to avoid. Ideally I’d like to ‘send’ maybe 1 night/6 weeks, but a more realistic target right now might be 1 night/2 weeks…(for context my past month in Park City has put me around 2.5 nights/week…I signed up for this temporary living situation and it comes to an end in early March…though it has been a ton of FUN).

Summary drinking frequency targets

Sober: 3 nights/week
Social: 3.5 nights/week
Send: 0.5 nights/week (1 night/2 weeks)

I expect these buckets to change as my life situation changes – in my mid 30s I see myself ‘sober’ 5.5 nights/week, ‘social’ 1.5 nights/week, and ‘send’ 1 night/3 months. Anyway I have no idea if any of this framework is coherent – all suggestions appreciated!

*Side note: 1 or 2 glasses of wine at very nice meals can meaningfully improve the overall experience such that I think it is warranted – the key is to not use this excuse often.