On Pausing Alcohol "Always carry a flask of whiskey in case of snakebite, and furthermore always carry a small snake." -- W. C. Fields About six months ago, I stopped drinking alcohol. I feel much better, and I’m mad as hell about it. I never really drank through my 20s and 30s, but grew to really enjoy whiskey through my 40s, coincident with “Mad Men”, and roughly a thousand academic studies that proved that alcohol is actually good for you. Win/win! I had read that the sure sign of an alcoholic is someone who drinks at night, by himself, at home, so I decided to only drink at night, by myself, at home. I was even scurrilously quoted as saying “the perfect day is 10 hours of caffeine followed by 4 hours of alcohol”, which I did indeed say, and which is still indeed true. Unfortunately, in recent years, it’s become clear that most or all — probably all — of the scientific studies on the benefits of alcohol are fake, the scientists unwitting or witting victims of selection effects. As Michael Crichton says, “wet streets cause rain”, or rather wet streets don’t cause rain. It turns out that sick people often don’t drink, or subjects just lie to researchers about their consumption outright. There go the studies. It is now pretty definitively clear that no amount of alcohol is good for you. Andrew Huberman recently summed this conclusion up on his podcast; the topic made me so enraged I never listened to the episode, but I did read the notes. Andrew says “the best amount of alcohol to drink is no alcohol” — imagine someone who both hates and loves humanity that much. Since I stopped drinking, I feel much better. I don’t need as much sleep, but my sleep is better. I’m more alert through the day. I’m cogent and focused at all times. I have more energy when I exercise, and it’s easier to control my diet. It’s great, and I am super mad about it. I feel like the color has drained out of my evenings[*]. Spending time with people is still fun, but now it’s hard to sit still and watch a movie or read a book and unwind at the end of a hard day. I’m more prone to just work until bedtime. Grump grump grump. Frankly, I don’t know what Elon is doing farting around with cars and rockets and Twitter, why doesn’t he solve THIS problem[**]. And one of these days, I am going to get deeply, seriously, hammered. But not today! [*] A lot of people I know are substituting cannabis or hallucinogens for alcohol. I’m not, I won’t touch any of those things — a topic for another time. [**] I’ve been trying all the alcohol free whiskeys, wine, and beer. So far, no luck on the whiskeys. For wine, Sovi is pretty good. For beer, there are quite a few good choices; I’ve become partial to Hopwtr, which is zero calorie hop-flavored sparkling water. I’m still not drinking either at breakfast, though I am tempted.

Shout out to @IanJBlessing for including us in this @imbibe article on Thanksgiving wine pairings. And shout out to Imbibe for thinking of putting a non-alc option for every alcoholic one! imbibemagazine.com/wines-for…

Do not miss out on this. Athletic did it non-alc pumpkin beer right, and if you don't hurry, we may have already ordered all of it... ...I really thought four 6-packs were going to last longer

Happy birthday to the great oracle of food and drink! 🎉 Always love to see what @thesnaxshot has to say about everything

Get to celebrate @thesnaxshot turning 2 years old with our community today! 🥳 Today’s a special day for variety of reasons that in time will share more of, but for now let’s look back at best snax moments 🥲 issue that started it all on sober curiosity snaxshot.substack.com/p/snax…

Yes, I have glassware shaped like little birds. Yes, you can stick garnishes into their butts. No, you don't need to be anywhere near that ridiculous to serve great cocktails. washingtonpost.com/food/2022…

Looks like we're taking a little trip to DC in a few months...

Aside from being a perfect trailer for the book it's ostensibly reviewing, this article really encapsulates what I love about non-alc: having the option for a little indulgence that won't hurt you is pretty easy to fit into what you're already doing. theatlantic.com/culture/arch…

Never thought that we'd be obsessed with cinnamon whiskey... @DrinkSpiritless's limited edition Kentucky 74 SPICED is both sophisticated and delicious, while also (we're almost embarrassed to say this) the 1st non-alc spirit that works as a shooter. 🤭 thezeroproof.com/non-alcohol…

Six of the best non-alcoholic spritzes for season’s end thezeroproof.com/home/best-n… @TheZeroProof #verjus @MikuniWild

If you were wondering if you should feel great about supporting @AthleticBrewing, check out this interview with the co-founders. These guys are genuinely trying to make the world a better place (in more ways than making amazing craft non-alc beer) thezeroproof.com/home/interv…

Guess I'm watching Shark Tank for the first time ever!

We do a really good non-alcoholic version of, and I quote, "a negroni. sbagliato. with prosecco in it." Just sayin'. thezeroproof.com/non-alcohol…

1. We love to see a non-alc section on the cocktail list. 2. ...but come on, let's get some tofu on that menu!

The no/low alcohol movement is taking off SO fast. Spotted this on a menu for an old school restaurant that doesn’t even accommodate vegetarians yet 👀