10 Reasons Why Drinking Alcohol Can Actually Be Good for You

Reason #1: You see a person’s true colors when you drink with them.

Just like the saying that you shouldn’t trust a skinny chef, you shouldn’t trust the only sober person in a group.

Drinking with someone for the first time is an early indicator of trust. That you trust them enough to show a non-professional side of your personality. That they trust you enough to do the same.

It takes a drink or two before you get a glimpse into someone’s real personality. Do they mellow out and become more friendly? Or are they a jerk to the waitresses/waiters? Do they cover some of the tabs? Or do they pretend that they lost their wallet when the bill comes?

Some people might not make the cut, but the others you can build a friendship with over time.

Reason #2: Stress can have a negative long-term impact on your health.

There are many things that can stress us out on a daily basis, like:

• sitting in traffic
• managing your finances
• worrying about a sick family member
• looming deadlines at work

Is it really worth your health to stress out about having 1–2 drinks on occasion? Save your stress for things that matter, and don’t feel guilty about having a glass or two of your favorite drink every now and then.

Reason #3: You have limited willpower, be strategic about how you spend it.

Imagine there is a delicious slice of key lime pie in front of you right now. You know it’s not good for you, but it tastes so good and you really want it. You decide to exercise your willpower though and not eat it. You feel proud of yourself for showing self-restraint.

Now fast forward to later in the month. You are stressed out by work and all the looming deadlines. Suddenly, you find yourself eating the whole damn pie because you had it on your mind since the beginning. You should have just eaten that one slice of pie.

Our willpower is like a rider on top of an elephant. The rider can try to tell the elephant where to go, and the elephant may listen most of the time, but ultimately it is the elephant who is in charge.

So have that drink and save your willpower for the moments that really matter.

Reason #4: Studies aren’t always right.

While the most recent study published in 2018 proclaimed there is no safe level of drinking, I’m predicting there will be a future study that will proclaim again that drinking alcohol in moderation can be good for you.

There are many examples of studies hailed as revolutionary when they are first published, only to be refuted years later after the damage is done. Just like how:

1. the Stanford study was hailed as revolutionary in the 1970’s, but then in 2018 we find out that it was staged.
2. saturated fat was the main culprit for making us fat based on research in the 1960’s, but then we find out in 2016 that the sugar industry had funded the research which fueled decades of blaming fats and ignoring the underlying dangers of sugar consumption on health.
3. artificial sweeteners were a safe alternative to sugar with the FDA approving Aspartame in 1981, but then we find out that artificial sweeteners was found to be more addictive than cocaine to rats.
4. coffee is good for you, but then we find out it could cause cancer, but then that it’s actually okay.
5. coconut oil was the next super food, but then we find out that may not be true.

So can we just agree that something things are absolutely not good for you like heroin or meth, while other things in moderation can be okay or even good for you.

Reason #5: Alcohol can also be a safer choice than water in some countries.

Drinking tap water can be dangerous based on certain countries that you visit because of unfamiliar pathogens. I drank water in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Bolivia that wasn’t properly treated, and I paid dearly for it. So now I order bottles of beer when I visit certain countries.

Better to be safe when you travel instead of taking a risk. Otherwise you may be looking for bathrooms in the most random places and the most inopportune times.

Reason #6: Life is short, and there are better things to spend your time and energy on.

Terrorist attacks and mass shootings are sadly things that we need to think about now. You could also get hit by a bus at any moment. Life is not certain, so we should enjoy and not micromanage each moment.

Yes, ultimately alcohol itself may not be good for you, but I posit that there are so many things out there that are as bad or worse. Why not focus on avoiding fried foods, or secondhand smoke, or sugar first? Or how about we get more sleep instead?

Life is not guaranteed, and there are many things can kill you. So if drinking in moderation brings pleasure and can make you happy in the right social situations, why not?

Reason #7: Drinking can short-circuit that little voice in your head.

I didn’t know anyone when I moved to DC for a job after college. I was also very self-conscious and shy around people I didn’t know.

I found a roommate on Craigslist who grew up in the area and he’d invite me to go out with him and his friends. So we started going out to bars and clubs on Thursday- Saturday nights. I’d have a drink or so, and sometimes more, but usually just enough to keep the edge off and still be fine the next morning.

Over time I became friends with my roommate and his group of friends and we hang out and do other things like working out at the gym or going on trips instead of just drinking.

Drinking shifted me from being an introvert to extrovert. Not from the alcohol itself which is a depressant, but putting me in situations to be social. And in these social situations I discovered how to have fun by short-circuiting that voice in my head.

Reason #8: Drinking can be an effective shortcut to releasing endorphins when you pair with food.

There are different ways to trigger endorphins. Love, eating hot chili peppers, running 20 miles, or a glass of wine with a medium-rare steak.

Sometimes, all it takes to release those happy endorphins is a glass of wine and fabulous meal with the people you love.

Reason #9: The best stories usually start with a drink.

Not many interesting stories or memories start with “So I was drinking water when…”

Alcohol is usually involved somewhere in a fun story. Like when my friends and I were in college, we’d get hungry after drinking. So we’d go to Beth’s Cafe on Aurora and order the 12-egg omelet with unlimited hash browns and side of toast. And of course we’d challenge each other to finish the entire meal in one setting. Which, I might add, I completed three out of four times.

Reason #10: Drinking is part of the shared human condition.

Imagine a world where alcohol didn’t exist as of tomorrow. Would more people die of loneliness? Be less likely to give charitably at an auction or fundraiser for a good cause? Result in higher meal prices at restaurants?

Whether we like it our not, drinking has been woven into our social fabric across time and culture. Even if you can’t speak the same language you can still share a smile and a beer.

Alcohol is like fire. It can be useful under the right circumstances, but it can also be very dangerous.

Alcohol is a tool for me and not a crutch. I enjoy a pour of bourbon when I’m out with friends but can’t remember the last time I drank at home alone. I use alcohol to empower my life, not to let it become a handicap.

This is actually why I’m doing Sober September right now. This is also why whenever I’ve had a hard day at work, I actually workout to associate a good habit with a stressful situation.

So if and when we drink, let’s do it for the right reasons and in a thoughtful manner. This way, we can benefit from the ways that alcohol can actually be good for us, without getting burned.

Since the publication of this article on 9/18, another source highlighted that 1 drink a day would result in 400/10 million people developing an alcohol related problem.