Can't wait for the inevitable "millenials are killing the beer industry" articles.

I went for years not drinking alcohol. Wasn't 100%... I'd have a spirit out now and then but only if I wasn't driving anywhere. This limited me to conference/hotel setups where I was staying for a few days. So... I might have a few drinks 2-3 times per year. It was largely a health/safety concern, but also a financial one.

Partially due to covid/lockdowns, I started drinking at home more regularly. It's now 4-5 times per month, vs 2-3 times per year. Still can't do too much - heartburn in middle of night if I have more than a drink or so.

Part of the reason I felt more comfortable taking it up was financial. Denied myself this 'indulgence' for a few decades because the cost always seemed relatively high. I can afford it now more than I could 20 years ago, so I'm trying out new things and seeing what I like.

But I definitely felt some social awkwardness when you'd be the only person in a group not drinking. I think the social expectations have changed a bit over the decades - it's not as expected. And... I've changed over the decades - I care far less what people think of me in social settings like that.

It's not puritanical, it's just substitution: cannabis use is supplanting alcohol use.

Look at European birth rates and a bit more puritanism might be beneficial

My understanding is that those were later refuted. (And that light wine drinking correlates with socio-economic status, which also correlates with health)

IIRC three is an increased risk of liver cirrhosis with even one drink a day compared to drinkers of none. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6776700/

But something like 50% of studies don't replicate?

Latest Huberman postcast episodes tend to discuss the opposite.

Whether you think it is justified for health reasons, alcohol consumption is down heavily in GenZ compared to their parents at the same age.

And other studies show the same benefits from moderate consumption of grape juice, sans the well-documented damage that alcohol causes.