Re-introducing alcohol - a recap
What I learned from breaking my nearly 3-year n/a streak
👋Hello, my friend. Quick one for you today. I’ve written in previous weeks about reintroducing alcohol after nearly 3 years away from it. Last weekend — Memorial Day in the U.S. — was an interesting case study for me as I reintroduced (a little bit) of booze and tested the effects. I drank alcohol all three evenings (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) though not to excess on any one day. I’ll share my conclusions below.
Let’s do it!
A holiday weekend — alcohol included.
So I got a TON of questions like: What was your first drink? Were you instantly impaired? Are you happy that you broke your streak? And more. So let’s get into it.
Here’s what happened:
Friday night (my birthday), I had a vodka soda and a glass of red wine. And as I mentioned last week, it was… kind of just OK. I didn’t actually enjoy it that much. The red wine, honestly, didn’t taste great to me. The vodka soda was fine, but I had this slight feeling like, am I actually getting a little drunk right now?—and that was strangely uncomfortable for me. I’ve come to really value being in full control of my faculties at all times. Especially since I did drive home that night after those two drinks, and I felt a little uneasy about that, to be honest.
Saturday, I had maybe two or three Corona Lights while hanging out at our pool cabana. Again—fine. I didn’t feel bad in the moment. But I noticed that both Saturday night and into Sunday, I was a bit more irritable. I had less patience with my kids.
That stood out.
I’m not the only one who notices that alcohol can make you less patient with your kids, even days after drinking. And for me, that’s a really big deal. I don’t want to be a grumpy, irritable dad. I want to be the opposite of that. I want to be kind, present, and patient. I want to set a good example. So if alcohol gets in the way of that, that’s a big downside.
Sunday, I played golf and had two Michelob Ultras on the back nine and then one more in the clubhouse after. I actually had a great round going—but then I totally lost it over the last three holes and kind of blew my score. Not a huge deal, but it did make me wonder: Was I just tired after 15 holes? Was it the alcohol? Was it a placebo effect? No idea. But it’s worth noting.
The other thing I noticed—like I wrote about last week—is that all of my health metrics went downhill. Resting heart rate was way up. Heart rate variability was down. Respiratory rate was up. My body was clearly working harder to clear the alcohol. I noticed that effect after the first night, and again after the second. After the third day, my metrics weren’t quite as bad, probably because I had finished drinking earlier that day—around 4pm. But still, not great.
And just to be clear—we’re not talking about crazy amounts of alcohol here. We’re talking about three Michelob Ultras over the course of a few hours. That’s not much — even if I am particularly sensitive to it now.
Other effects? I felt kind of bloated and gassy. Maybe TMI here, but I think it’s worth noting. Just felt kind of gross those days after drinking and I’m just not used to feeling like that. It reminded me of college — after big nights out. And I was just like… This is gross. Do people walk around feeling like this all the time?
So where does that leave me?
Well, one of my bigger takeaways is that there haven’t been a lot of positives. Yes, I did have a nice time hanging out with friends. I don’t want to discount that. There’s definitely some social benefit to drinking. That’s why humans have done it for thousands of years. And that’s probably the only reason I may stick with some small amount of alcohol in my life.
But here’s the thing: When I drink alcohol, maybe I get a little looser or even giddier for a couple of hours. But then? I’m a grumpier, more irritable, more gassy (sorry, TMI again), more lazy version of myself for the rest of the night and into the next day or two. Not really a great trade-off when I step back and look at it.
Sleep especially. I’ve become more and more convinced over the last few years that sleep is one of the most important variables for long-term health — maybe THE most. And alcohol undoubtedly screws up your sleep quality. That’s a massive downside that only compounds the more frequently you drink. Don’t love that at all.
Same with being a less good version of myself for my kids. That might be the most important role I have in life, and if alcohol makes me worse at that, that’s a huge problem.
Again, I’m not even talking about getting drunk. I’m talking about having a few beverages. And still, I felt off on those days. Maybe that’s partly because I haven’t been drinking for a while, and my tolerance is low. But either way, I felt it.
Thinking about what’s actually fulfilling
So does not drinking mean giving up what’s enjoyable in life? I guess that depends on what you enjoy.
Is it getting a buzz on a Friday or Saturday night with friends? Or is it something else?
For me, it’s more often the latter. I get more joy and fulfillment from things like achieving a specific fitness goal — maybe it’s running a race, or completing a month-long lifting program. Or playing a great round of golf — where I’m really challenging myself and performing well. Or a really competitive game of pickleball where I’m leaving it all on the court. Or being a patient dad with my kids. Those things are actually fulfilling for me — notably and tangibly enjoyable.
Those kinds of experiences—especially the ones that involve real challenge and real progress—are so much more fun to me than having a couple of drinks. And in my experience, alcohol doesn’t pair well with those pursuits. It’s kind of like: Which path do you want to be on?
Do you want the short-term buzz and then feel like a less good version of yourself for a day or two?
Or do you want to feel sharp and clear and capable of achieving things you’re actually proud of?
To me, this little experiment gave me some clarity. Not in the sense of “I’m never drinking again.” But just in the sense that the negatives of alcohol really stand out to me right now. And they outweigh the positives.
So no, I’m not starting a new streak. I’m not drawing a hard line. I’ll still have a drink here and there. But I’m going to be very intentional about it.
And knowing how I operate, I do think I do better with some guardrails. Even though I don’t think I’m at risk of going overboard, I still want some structure.
I’ll be thinking more in the weeks ahead about what qualifies as an “alcohol-worthy occasion.” And even when I decide to have a drink, how much is worth it?
Because I still have zero desire to get a hangover. Zero desire to miss a workout. Zero desire to feel off on a Monday morning. I mentioned I drank three days in a row, but the max I had on any of those days was three drinks. And that honestly feels like the upper limit for me right now.
A few quotes from you
To finish up, I want to share a few of the awesome messages I got from readers over the last few weeks. It’s been so encouraging to hear from so many people who are thinking through the same stuff. Here are a few that stood out:
“I stopped drinking in December 2024. This article resonated so strongly…”
“I don’t drink much either anymore… Could go weeks or months between drinks and I don’t care. But a nice cold one on the 7th hole during summer is wonderful. Likewise, a fresh one with a dog at a baseball game. Small, harmless refreshment. Oh, and a Corona by the pool is still strong haha.”
“I’ve been alcohol-free for over 30 years… I used to play competitive Sunday morning basketball, and even just one or two beers the night before made me feel sluggish. So I stopped. Now I’m 64, haven’t missed a workout in years.”
“I stopped drinking a little over a year ago. It’s become part of my identity now—and I kind of like that. The hard part is figuring out what counts as a ‘special enough’ occasion to drink. Because if I’m honest, one glass would probably turn into 3–5. That’s why the no-drinking rule works for me—for now.”
It’s been awesome hearing from so many of you. When I first gave up alcohol back in 2018, it felt like kind of a weird move. People would ask, “Do you have a problem?” It just wasn’t that common. But now? It’s so cool to see how many people are experimenting with this for their own reasons.
Hopefully, my reintroduction hasn’t discouraged anyone who’s found success being alcohol-free. That’s definitely not my intention. But if anything, I think we’re all just wrestling with a similar question:
Am I missing out, or am I making a better choice?
I’ve obviously been thinking through that in public for the last few weeks. And I think you can probably see where I’m landing—for now. But as always, I reserve the right to change!
Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you next time.
—Greg
Content Diet
Tim Ferriss & Kevin Rose (the random episode) — These guys talked through a lot of interesting topics in this conversation but they had a really good chat on alcohol that’s very much along the lines of what’s discussed in this newsletter today. Some quotes that stuck out to me: “Drinking is borrowing happiness from tomorrow.” And “I had my first drink and my last drink for the same reason — to be a grown-up.”
Here’s the section of that podcast where they discuss alcohol: YouTube link here.
Dr. Peter Attia — on why cold plunges might not be great
I’m kind of happy to hear this since I’ve never been able to convince myself to do cold plunges. In this short video, he basically talks about how cold plunges may inhibit muscle growth — particularly if done after lifting — and how they may add unnecessary cortisol spikes. YouTube link here.
Book: In the Kingdom of Ice — Hampton Sides
I love reading history that feels like fiction. And I love reading about the 1800s and early 1900s. And I love epic sea voyages and explorations. This book has all of that. It’s about the epic quest to reach the North Pole. It’s so crazy that only a few generations ago there were still parts of world that were completely unexplored and the theories of the time about what those places might be like were pretty wild. Really enjoying this one. Kinda feeling like I need to go on an epic voyage, too. Let me know if you have any ideas.
That’s it for this week! I’m playing in a member-member golf tourney this coming Friday and Saturday so there’s a decent chance I miss writing IW for the first time this year… but TBD on that. I’ve been bingeing Jon Sherman content to get me ready.
See you next week (or the week after that).
Greg